Blue Christmas
by Becks7
Summary: The latest story in the holiday series. Wheeler and Linka's first Christmas together. It's been smooth sailing all year for their first year together...until now.
1. Bah Humbug

A/N: The latest in the holiday fics! Wheeler and Linka's first Christmas together. Will it be as memorable as all their other holidays?

Disclaimer: Not mine. They belong to the great Ted Turner. Don't sue me!

_Chapter 1_

**Bah Humbug **

I don't know what to do. I'm lying in bed next to the most beautiful girl I've ever met. I'm madly in love…but I don't know what to do. I'm afraid I've made a mistake…like I've done too much too soon, and now…I'm tossing and turning because I think the only thing I have left to offer her is disappointment. She'll have all these expectations and all I'll give her is a life full of let downs. What was I thinking? Why did I ever believe that I deserved her? I was blinded by my hormones. I wasn't thinking about what was best for her in the long run, just what was best for me in the short run. I finally got the girl of my dreams and have spent the most amazing year of my life with her. But that's all about to come to an end. How do I explain it to her? How do I tell her I can't be the man she thinks I am? I can't keep letting her think I'm this great, romantic guy. I'm a fake, a phony. And sooner or later, she's gonna find out…and she's gonna hate me when she finds out the truth. And it'll be over anyways…why didn't I realize this sooner? I should have seen this coming. And now we're both going to get hurt.

I'm about to roll over for the umpteenth time when a hand reaches across my chest and holds me in place.

"I swear to God Yankee, if you roll over ONE MORE TIME, I am leaving and going back to my own room," Linka says sleepily.

"Maybe you should."

"You want me to leave?"

"Yeah."

After a long pause, she props herself up on her elbow and asks,

"Is everything alright?"

"I just can't sleep and obviously, it's keeping you awake…so you should go back to your room and get your rest. Don't let me keep you up."

"Wheeler, if something is bothering you, I want to know. You can tell me anything…you know that right?"

"I know," I say. "I just…I don't know what it is. I just have alot on my mind."

"Well, I am awake now…perhaps there is something I can do to get your mind off whatever is bothering you?" She says suggestively as she reaches around and runs her hand down my torso.

I grab her hand and stop it just as her hand begins to slide under the waistband of my boxers. How do I tell her that that's not possible. She can't take my mind off whatever is bothering me, because _**she**_ is what's bothering me.

"No Linka. It's…I'm just…not in the mood."

"Oh. I see. Ok. Then, if you did not want me here tonight, you should have just said so," she says as she climbs out of bed.

"It's not like…nevermind," I say as I roll onto my side and pull the covers around my shoulders, my back facing her.

"I am sorry if I have done something to upset you. Goodnight Yankee."

"Goodbye Linka," I whisper, unsure of whether or not she heard me.

* * *

I woke up the next morning after only getting a few hours of sleep. Linka and Gi were in the kitchen finishing breakfast when I entered. Linka looks like she didn't get much sleep either.

"Good morning Wheeler!" Gi says.

"G'mornin' Gi," then I look at Linka and nod, "Hi."

"Hello," she says coolly.

"Wheeler, you look like you could use a few more hours of sleep," Gi points out. "Looks like Linka could too! What a coincidence," she says with a wink.

I know Gi means well, and any other day, her joke would have been funny…and true…but today, it just made things awkward.

"Sorry I had to drag her away from you and wake you both up so early...after obviously having a _rough night_…but I've got some Christmas shopping to do and I wanted Linka to come with me to help me get some ideas for you."

"You mean you're not done yet Gi, the official shopaholic of the Planeteers!?" I ask.

"Oh, and I suppose you're completely done with everyone?" She replies.

"All except one."

"Do you want to come with us?" Gi asks.

_Yes_

"No," I lie.

I do want to go with them. I wanna be with Linka. I wanna walk around the mall holding her hand like all the other couples our age are doing. And I know what guys at the mall are like. They're gonna see two pretty girls by themselves, and all these guys are gonna be hitting on them, following them...Let 'em. If I can't give Linka what she deserves, I can't stand in her way if someone else can.

"Is something wrong Wheeler? You're going to pass up a chance to spend free time with Linka?!"

"I'm just not in the mood for shopping," I say.

"You are not in the mood for anything lately," Linka says under her breath.

I look over at her to let her know that I heard her, but then I look away. I'm not gonna argue with her.

"Are you ready Gi?" Linka asks.

"Yeah, whenever you are."

"Wheeler, is there anything in particular that you want for Christmas? Give me some ideas of things you want or need," Linka says.

"Don't bother gettin' me anything. There's nothin' I want, nothin' I need, or nothin' I deserve. Just save your money."

"Of course I am getting you something! Do not talk like that! Why would you think that you do not deserve anything? I _WANT_ to get you something, and I _AM _getting you something, I just thought I would ask you for some ideas if there was anything you wanted."

"I told you. **NOTHING**. Am I not speaking clearly? You know what _nothing_ means right?" I say as angrily as I can. This hurts so bad. The look on her face…it's hurting her too...which is hurting me even more.

"Da. I know what 'nothing' means, smartass. Perhaps it is you that does not understand…I AM BUYING YOU A CHRISTMAS PRESENT! I was just giving you the opportunity to get something you wanted. Now you will get whatever I decide to get you, and if you do not like it, that is your own damn fault!"

Wow. Linka never swears…not in English anyways.

"Fine. It's your money. Waste it however you'd like," I say as I leave.

What's wrong with me? Why can't I just be honest with her? Tell her what's bothering me? Because I know she'd talk me out of it. Would that be so bad? I know I'm being irrational. I don't like Christmas. I'm being a scrooge. I'm letting all of the emotions that get me down every year cloud my judgment. Am I really gonna let the same feelings that get me down every year interfere with the best thing that has ever happened to me? Do I really feel that I'm not good enough for her or is it just the self depreciation that I go through every year at Christmas…a product of my raising. Why do I want to hurt myself by pushing her away? Why am I doing this when I know that it's hurting her? Because I know in the end, it's the best thing for her. I can't be the one that breaks up with her though...she needs to dump me. It'll hurt her less if she's the one that ends it...if she's the one that's in control. I hope that someday, she'll see that too, and we can remain friends. I know one thing's for sure. I'll always love her. That's why I have to let her go.

* * *

To Be Continued...Wait? What am I doing?! These are supposed to be happy, lovey dovey, cheesey, drama free fics! But I can't do Christmas. This chapter is called Bah Humbug for a reason...that's how I feel. And I'm taking Wheeler down with me! And as a result, I'm gonna have to make you all suffer through my holiday blahs and a not so happy, lovey dovey, cheesey, drama free fic. It's gonna be a sad Christmas. You've been warned. It'll probably get better. I just haven't gotten that much written yet. I just wanted to get this posted before I changed my mind!


	2. Tis The Season To Be Grinchy

I am so pissed off right now you guys! I had every intention of of posting the ending of This Time, so I was proofreading it before I posted it, and just started making a ton of changes. I should have never been doing that many changes on this website, but I like to read it in the "Document Manager" because sometimes when I upload, I lose the format/words/symbols. So I just finished making every last detail PERFECT...Then when I hit "save" a "this page cannot be displayed" page comes up and I've just lost EVERYTHING. So now you'll have to wait for the conclusion of This Time...and I don't know when I'm gonna get to it because right now, I'm so mad, I'm sick just thinking about it. I don't even wanna think about it because I know I'm not going to remember all of the changes I made and I know it's not gonna be as good as what I had. It's taking everything I have not to just start fixing it right now while it's still in my head (sort of), but I am dead tired. So to make up for it, I'm putting up a real quick chapter of Blue Christmas.

* * *

_Chapter 2_

**_'Tis The Season To Be Grinch-y_**

I do not know what Wheeler's problem is. Whatever was bothering him last night is obviously still bothering him today. I try to think back to when his mood suddenly changed…what caused it? I cannot think of anything that I did, but it seems that he is upset with me. As if he does not want me around. Everything has been good…nyet, great, since we got back from his family's Thanksgiving dinner. At one point during his speech, I thought he was going to do something crazy and propose! Well, not that it would have been crazy…I would have said yes, of course. Just like on Easter when he got me that necklace, but the box that it came in made me think it was something else. I would have said yes then. I would have said yes on Thanksgiving. Maybe that is it…maybe he is planning something and is nervous about it…or maybe…maybe it is the opposite. Maybe he scared himself. Maybe he did not realize he could feel so strongly about someone…I certainly did not think I could. And that scared me too for a while, but what scared me more is the thought of not having him in my life. I cannot go back to just being friends.

"Everything Ok Linka? You've been awfully quiet," Gi says.

"I am just thinking."

"For a second there, I thought maybe you'd fallen asleep. Wheeler keep you up all night?" she teases.

"Da…but not for the reasons you think."

"Something wrong?"

"I do not know. He was tossing and turning, and I jokingly said that if he did it one more time, I was leaving, and he told me to go ahead. I asked him what was wrong and he said he had alot on his mind. So then I…offered to try to…take his mind off things," I cannot believe I am talking about this, but Gi is my best friend, other than Wheeler. "But he said he was not in the mood."

"And you didn't have a fight or anything before that? A disagreement?"

"Nyet. We were just talking about Christmas. I asked him if he had any plans yet. His family seemed like they wanted us to come back up there for the holidays and I did not know if we were going or not. I was sort of hoping that we would go back to Russia and see my family…but I do not want to interfere with his plans…you know how he always has things planned out so elaborately for our first holidays together. I do not want to mess that up."

"Linka, I'm sure if he knew you wanted to see your family, he'd do that. I'm sure he'd like to see them again too. Under better circumstances this time, he'd be there with you, not saying goodbye to you. And your grandma has fully recovered, right?"

"Da. She is as good as new and has been for years now...Mishka says she is showing no signs of slowing down! Even he is having a hard time keeping up with her."

"That's good. And I'm sure your brother and grandma would like to get to know Wheeler better."

"Da."

"So take him to Russia. Besides, it doesn't sound like he has anything planned for you anyways. Maybe that's his problem. He's having a hard time trying to top himself. Maybe he's stressing over what he could possibly do to make your first Christmas together a special one," Gi suggests.

"Gi! You are a genius! That is probably it! I said to him last night 'I cannot wait to see what you have planned for me for Christmas.' Then he got quiet and wanted to go to bed, but obviously he was not really tired because he kept tossing and turning…I do not need him to do anything special…I love his surprises, but does he not know by now…that is not why I stay with him!"

"Tell him that!"

"He knows!"

"Make sure he knows Linka! You know how Wheeler can get down on himself sometimes and not think that he's good enough. And Christmas is a stressful time of year for some people…they agonize over getting the perfect gift. That's probably what he's doing. He worships you and doesn't want to disappoint you," Gi says.

"He could never disappoint me."

"Then you need to make sure he knows that. Show him that the simple things are what's really important. It's not about the gifts…it's about being with the ones you love. Maybe this time, you can surprise him. Find some things that we don't do on Hope Island that might be traditional in America...or do something for him that is traditionally done in Russia for Christmas."

"Thank you Gi. That is a great idea! Christmas is not that big of a deal in Russia...celebrating the New Year seems to be the bigger holiday. But I know exactly what I will do for Wheeler! I cannot believe he has not thought of this already!"

* * *

To Be Continued...


	3. Oh, Holy ?

This is just what I needed after a long, tedious night of Christmas party mingling...it hurts, smiling forcefully and nodding your head, feigning interest. Fortunately the night was salvaged when I found a room full of people converged around the TV watching...college volleyball?! The national championships? They have such a thing? Yes they do! And as it turns out, my university was playing in it! AND WON IT! Woo hoo! LET'S GO STATE! So it's not just our football team that's good. And all those people who were watching the game all went there too, so we bonded while watching the game. But I still would have rather been home working on this fic!

* * *

_Chapter 3_

**_Oh, Holy...$&!#_**

Gi and Linka have been gone for nearly three hours. I have spent most of that time staring at a present that I had gotten Linka. It wasn't a Christmas present…I wanted to give it to her on New Year's Eve…our anniversary. But now, I was reconsidering. I can't do this to her. I'm being selfish. I can't keep her happy. She deserves better than what I can give her.

Then I hear the Geo Cruiser landing. I hurry up and shove the present back into the bag and under my bed. Then I see one of Linka's shirts…must've accidently got pushed under there at some point. I take it over to my hamper and toss it onto the overflowing pile. I really should do my laundry soon. How did it get to be so full anyways? Oh…because half of the clothes in it are Linka's. I guess I never realized how much time she spends in here. I'm sure her hamper is just as full with my stuff. Then I start looking around the room. One of her hairbrushes is on my dresser, one of my drawers is full of spare sets of her clothes…shirts, shorts, pajamas, socks…even undergarments. It's all very domestic. I have my own drawer in her dresser as well. Then there's my bathroom. She's got a spare toothbrush in the cup next to mine, lip gloss, deodorant, shower gel…my room has become _our_ room…and hers has also become _ours_. I can't do this. I'm gonna go do some laundry.

* * *

A few hours later, my laundry duty is done. I even took the time to separate everything into groups according to color instead of my usual "whites" and "everything else." I've got everything folded and have put away my stuff. Linka's sits in a neatly folded pile on my bed, along with all her toiletries and the clothes that were in my drawer. This is it.

A few moments later, I'm standing outside of her door, my arms too full to knock. She doesn't usually keep her door shut unless she's dressing, sleeping, or wrapping presents, which is what I assume she's doing now.

"Linka?"

"Just a second."

I wait as I hear the rustling of bags and boxes being thrown. I knew she wouldn't listen to me. I knew she'd end up buying me something.

"I was just going to come get you," I hear her say through the door. Then she opens it and says, "I have a surprise for you…what is all this?" she nods towards everything in my arms.

"Uh, I did laundry. These are your things that were in my hamper."

"Oh. Well, you could have just put them in my drawer," she says as she takes the load out of my arms.

"Um, those things are here too. I uh…needed the space."

"How could you possibly have run out of room? You hardly have anything, and a good bit of your stuff is in my room anyways," she says.

"Yeah…about that. That's what I needed to make space for. I'm gonna get that stuff out of your way."

"It is not in my way. It makes more sense to have some of our things in each others' rooms so that we do not have to go back to our own rooms for it."

"Linka…don't."

"Nyet! You '_don't_!' I know what you are trying to do. I do not know why you are doing it…but we need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about," I say.

"LIKE HELL THERE IS NOT!" she yells. "Something is bothering you, and you MUST tell me what it is so that we can fix it. Come inside," she says as she grabs my hand and tugs.

"No, I can't. Just get my things together and give them to me later," I turn to leave, but she still has a hold of me and pulls me into her room.

"Fine. If you will not talk, then you will listen!" she says as she slams the door behind me. The commotion causes Yankee and Babe, the lovebirds I bought her, to start chirping madly and fluttering around in their cage. "Sorry little ones. We did not mean to scare you," Linka says soothingly as she sticks her finger in the cage.

"What's that?" I ask pointing to the corner.

"It is a Christmas tree."

"I know that…what's it for?"

"It is my surprise for you. Our first Christmas tree. I thought that we could go shopping and pick out the ornaments and decorate it together. That way, if we both pick out the ornaments, it will truly be _our_ tree, with things that we both like."

See, why couldn't I have thought about that? That's a great idea. It just proves that I'm tapped out. I can't keep up. I can't find new things to make our holidays special.

"I can't do this," I say.

"Do what?"

"Put you through this. It's not fair Linka."

"What, Wheeler? Talk to me, please."

"I can't make you happy."

"You **have** made me happy. You **do** make me happy!"

"Yeah…this year. But what about next year? I can't keep doing all these great things to make your holidays special."

"How do you think I feel? You have done it all…I have done nothing. I feel so guilty that you go all out to make each holiday special, but I can hardly keep up."

"And I've told you, I don't need anything. Seeing you happy was gift enough for me."

"And being with you is all _**I**_ need. I do not need material things. Damn it Wheeler! Look at me!"

I look up to see tears streaming down her face.

"I love your surprises. I love that you did everything that you could think of to make our first holidays together special…but I did not need a romantic dinner cruise in New York and a fancy hotel for Valentine's Day. I did not need my own private scavenger hunt to find my Easter basket, I did not need a special trip for my birthday, and I definitely could have done without that stupid so called 'holiday,' Halloween. We could have spent every one of those occasions alone, going no where, eating nothing special, just simple things like pizza, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, macaroni and cheese…_YOU_ are the only thing I need to make my holidays special."

"For now…but what about years from now…you'll start to hate me and resent me for not being able to make you feel special…like you deserve."

"Do not dare to assume what I will feel for you years from now! You do not know me well enough to say that."

"Babe, I know you better than anyone else."

"Nyet! You do not. I thought that maybe you did but if this is how you think that I will feel…then you do not know me at all," she cries.

"You know this isn't easy for me. This is killing me. But there's a saying that goes 'if you love something, let it free.' I'll only hold you back. I'm keeping you from finding someone that you deserve."

"Stop it. Stop talking like you are unworthy. You are what I deserve. You are all that I want."

"Linka…please. Don't make this harder. You know I'm right. Just hear me out." I say.

"Nyet. Not if you are breaking up with me."

"I'm not. I can't."

"Well, I am not going to be the one that breaks up with you, so if that is what you are planning…"

"Please Linka. You have to. Just think back to before…when you kept pushing me away. Do that. Be that person again. Hate me."

"I never hated you."

"You should. Hate me. Hate me for hurting you. For not being able to give you everything that you deserve. Hate me. Break up with me. Leave me and find someone worthy."

"Nyet! How could you do this? Why would you want to? This time of year…I thought everything was going so well. Tell me what I have done."

"It's not you. I swear. It's me."

"'It's not you, it's me?' Really? That is your reason? That is the lamest excuse in the world! And I do not accept that as a reason. I am not breaking up with you, so unless you can be man enough to break up with me, then I guess we are still together.

"Fine. I didn't want it to be like this. But I can't…we can't…I hope we can still be friends…because I don't wanna lose that."

"And I do not want to lose you, so if friends are all that we can be…then I guess that is better than nothing. I love you. I always will," she says through her tears.

She sits down on her bed, folds her hands, and looks down at the floor. I kneel down in front of her and take her hands.

"I will always care about you," I say as I lean my forehead against hers.

She leans forward and presses her lips against mine, but pulls back, just as I'm about to respond. She looks me in the eyes and can tell that I want nothing more than to kiss her one last time. She leans forward again and this time, the kiss is wild, passionate, desperate. Her hands go to my head and hold me to her, my hands grab for any part of her that I can reach, traveling from her thighs, to her hips, up her sides, and brushing against her breasts, and that's where they stay.

"No, I cannot," she says as she pulls away.

"I know. I know. I'm sorry."

"You cannot have it both ways. We can only do this if we are together. I am not like that. I cannot just be _**with**_ someone unless I am with them in every sense of the word. We will not be 'friends with benefits' as they say. You want me? You must want all of me…not just the physical…emotionally too. You must love me. Do you understand?"

"Yeah."

"I want this. I want to be with you. Tell me that is what you want too," she pleads.

"It is…but I can't." I release her and stand up to leave.

"So, I was right all along…all those years I resisted your advances because I was afraid that you were only in it for the chase…that once you got what you wanted, then you would lose interest. And it only took…eleven and a half months for you to get bored of me. Congratulations…you lasted longer than I thought you would have…that is what gave me hope that I had been wrong…it made me regret all the time I wasted resisting you, when we could have been together thsi whole time…but thank you for proving me right. I am sorry I could not keep you interested, but now you are free to move along to the next girl."

"No…Linka…it's not like that at all. It's not about me being bored. I was never bored. It's about…nevermind…I don't know how many times I have to say it. You're better off without me," I say.

"If you believe that, than you do not know me at all. I will never be happy without you. You know that as well I as I do."

"You think that now…but you'll see. You're beautiful, smart, and strong…someday, you'll find a guy that is deserving of you…I'm not that man…I'm not even a man. I'm just a boy who can never learn to be in an adult relationship."

"Is that what this is about? Are you scared of moving too fast? Wheeler, I am willing to wait as long as it takes for you to feel ready. We are young. I do not feel the need to settle down yet. Things are fine just as they are…they can stay like this."

"No, I'm not afraid of taking the next step. I'd marry you tomorrow if I thought I was the right one for you. And for the longest time, I thought I was. I thought I was the only one that could make you happy…and I tried…I REALLY REALLY tried. I can't," I say.

"You have…"

"I have…but I can't keep up…I give up."

"You give up? On us? Just like that?" She says through her sobs.

"Yeah," I whisper, and then I turn to leave.

"Wait. Here," she says as she reaches under her bed and shoves a neatly wrapped present into my chest.

"I can't accept this. Just take it back."

"I CANNOT, IT IS NON-RETURNABLE BECAUSE IT IS PERSONALIZED! NOW JUST TAKE IT AND GET OUT!"

* * *

Once again, I'm in my room, staring at the wrapped present sitting on my desk. I shouldn't open it. I can't keep it, and I didn't get her anything, so it wouldn't be right. But she said she can't take it back, and the fact that she said that she got it personalized makes me curious. My curiosity gets the best of me and I carefully tear it open to reveal a flat box. I lift the lid of the box and pull out its contents. It's a silver ornament, two overlapping hearts with our names engraved on them, and "Our First Christmas" engraved across the hearts, under our names.

Shit. How can I do this to her?

* * *

To Be Continued...


	4. So This is Xmas And What Have You Done?

_Chapter 4_

**_So This is Christmas...And What Have You Done?_**

Jerk. Nyet. That is too nice. I cannot think of a proper word. I know what I want to say. I know what I want to call him. I know that I want to hate him…but my heart will not let me think it, let alone say it out loud. This is it. This is the end. A few weeks ago, we were declaring our love for each other in front of his family…now…it is…over? I cannot even say the word. Mostly because I do not want to believe it. I want to believe that tomorrow, he will change his mind…or maybe he will change his mind today. I hope it is today. I hope it is soon. I do not know what more I could have said to him. Maybe I should just lock myself in my room and come up with things to say to him to make him change his mind…to make him see that he is doing the wrong thing. Nyet. That is not me. I do not go crawling back to anyone. He is the one who is wrong. **He** needs to come crawling back to me.

I begin gathering all of his belongings: shirts, jeans, boxers, toothbrush…he wants his stuff back, he can have it. I throw everything on my bed in a messy pile. The tears are streaming down my face. Earlier, they were tears of sadness, now they are of anger. I run across the way to Gi's cabin and knock on her door.

"Linka…what's wrong?"

"I need your help."

"Anything…Are you ok?"

"Nyet. Wheeler and I…we…he broke up with me."

"WHAT?! THAT'S INSANE!!! WHY?!"

"I do not know. Well, I do. At least, I know the lame excuse he gave me. I will tell you all about it while we do what I came to get your help with," I say.

"Ok. I'm so sorry Linka. I'm sure it's just temporary. Once he realizes…"

"Da. I know…At least, I hope so."

* * *

I tell Gi all about the conversation I had with Wheeler, his reasoning behind wanting to end things, and how he was trying to be a jerk on purpose so that _**I**_ would be the one to break up with him. Naturally, she is disappointed, and not just because she is my friend, but because what he did is appalling. That he could be so selfish…of course, **now** I think of things to say to describe his actions…why could I not do this when he was standing right in front of me. That way I could let him know how I really feel.

Gi helps me take down the artificial tree that I had assembled in my room and then carry the pieces, along with Wheeler's belongings over to his cabin. I throw his things outside of his door and then I throw the pieces of the tree, one by one against the door with as much force as I can.

I know, it is childish…but it feels so good. Gi walks with me back to my cabin. The good feeling is gone and I am back to being miserable and begin to cry.

"Do you want to talk about it…or do you want me to try and talk to him?"

"Nyet. He has made up his mind. If I cannot convince him to change it…if he does not love me enough to not be able to live without me…then all the talking in the world will not change his mind. I think I am going to go for a swim…try and clear my head."

"Do you want company…we don't have to talk about it…just…do you want someone there…incase you decided you **need** to talk about it?" Gi offers.

"Nyet…but thank you. I think I would just like to be alone…might as well get used to it."

* * *

To Be Continued...


	5. To Face Unafraid, The Plans That We've M

_Chapter 5_

**_To Face Unafraid, The Plans That We've Made_**

I heard the commotion outside my door. I had a pretty good idea it was Linka returning my stuff. I don't blame her for not wanting to see me, and just throwing the stuff outside my room. I had been laying on my bed, holding the ornament Linka got me and fighting back tears...yeah, I feel like crying...don't think this has been easy on me...don't think that this isn't tearing me up inside. There's a knock on my door and I quickly scrub my hands over my face to wipe away any traces of tears that might have fallen.

"Who is it?" I ask as I stuff the ornament under my pillow.

"Kwame and me," Ma-Ti says.

"Come in."

I turn towards the door to see Kwame and Ma-Ti stepping over pieces of...a Christmas tree?...as they enter my room.

"What is that?" Ma-Ti asks.

"It's a Christmas tree..." I resist the urge to add "duh." No need to alienate myself from them. I'm gonna need some friends.

"You have been quiet all day. The whole time the girls were gone, you were nowhere to be seen. We just wanted to make sure you were feeling well," Kwame says.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just thinkin'."

"That is not like you Wheeler," Ma-Ti says.

I shoot him a dirty look.

"That is not what I mean. I mean, you usually do not let things bother you. Something is in your mind and it is not like you to shut people out like this."

"I wasn't shutting anyone out…I was just in my room…if you guys wanted to hang, you shoulda said something."

"I am not talking about us…this morning, I was coming back from a run and when I went past Linka's cabin, I heard her crying," Kwame says. "And just now, I saw Gi, and when I said hello to her, she said 'Kwame, why do men...err, suck?'" Poor Kwame...if he wasn't so dark, he'd be blushing.

"Why is it my fault that Gi's apparently having guy troubles? Maybe she hasn't heard from Pontus in a while," I suggest, knowing full well that Gi is mad at me, and now all guys in general, because Linka is mad at me.

"Yes and I just passed Linka as she was on her way to the beach. She said 'hello' but it was real quick, and not her usual self. She looked up at me, then looked down real quick, but from what I did see, she looked like she was crying…forgive me for being so personal, but is everything ok with you two?" Ma-Ti asks.

"I don't know…I guess she's mad at me because I couldn't sleep last night and kept tossing and turning. It kept her up, so she went back to her room."

"That seems like a silly reason for her to be crying," Ma-Ti says.

"Well, I don't know Ma-Ti, you're the man with the power of heart…you tell me what's upsetting her."

"Perhaps it is the same thing that is upsetting you?"

I sigh, busted. Can't hide anything from these guys.

"I needed to end things with Linka."

"WHAT?! WHY?!" they both shout.

"Did something happen?"

"Did she do something wrong?"

"No, no. Nothing like that," I say. "It's me. I can't do this anymore."

"That is absurd! You have been waiting so many years to get to where you are with Linka. Everything is perfect…is it not? It sure seems like you two are the perfect couple…I mean, just a few weeks ago, you were professing your love for her in front of your whole family!" Kwame says.

"I know. But then I realized that I'd only be holding her back. She's got so much potential and I'd only end up disappointing her."

"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard you say!" Ma-Ti says. "And, no offense, my friend, but you have said some pretty stupid things!"

"Gee, thanks for the support Ma-Ti."

"Why do you think you need to break up?" Kwame asks.

"I can't give her what she deserves. She thinks I'm great…but it's all been a fraud. For the rest of our relationship, it'd be nothing but let downs because I wouldn't be able to top what I've done for her this past year."

"Why do you think you have to?" Ma-Ti asks.

"Because…because…I just do. She deserves someone who can make her happy."

"Wheeler, you **_do_** make her happy," Kwame says.

"But I can't keep her happy, don't you get it?!" I yell.

"You can…you **_have_**…in all the years we have known Linka, she has never been as happy as she has been since she has been with you," Ma-Ti says.

"Yeah, because I've been doing all this fun stuff…what happens next year…when I'm out of ideas?"

Kwame smacks his forehead then runs his hand down his face, sighs, and says,

"Are you even listening to what you are saying? It is not about all the things you have done together in the past year…Linka has loved you for a very long time…not just this year. What you have done to make things special…that was nice, but it is not what made her fall in love with you. She loves you for you…for being yourself…remember what she said at Thanksgiving...it was not about the holidays, it was every day in between."

"If you push her away, you will not be doing what is best for her…you will be hurting her. Wheeler…who knows you two better than we do? We are your friends; we see how happy you have made each other. We were there on Thanksgiving, the things she said…I never in a million years thought that Linka would ever speak so freely and so openly about her feelings in front of other people…most of whom she had just met for the first time. If you break up with her, you will both be miserable. We do not want to see either of you hurt. And it is not fair to the team. What if you both are unable to work together any longer? It could compromise our missions, or even worse, one of you could leave…and for what? Because you had some stupid notion that Linka would be better off without you?" Ma-Ti adds.

"I don't know what to say…I can't make you guys understand how I feel. How I know that this is what's best for Linka."

"I think you should let Linka decide what is best for her. Talk to her…tell her what has been bothering you, your concerns about keeping her happy. I bet you…a week of kitchen clean up duty…that Linka will tell you that all she needs to be happy is YOU," Ma-Ti says.

"It's too late. It's over. I've already ended it," I say.

"It is not too late. I am sure you can fix it! Linka will forgive you for being...an idiot!" Kwame says.

"I just…I can't NOT do anything for her for Christmas, but I'm out of ideas. She's expecting something big."

"How do you know that?" Kwame asks.

"She asked me last night if I had any plans for Christmas. When I said I didn't know yet, she said 'Well I cannot wait to see what sort of surprise you have for me this time. I cannot imagine what it could possibly be.' See, she's already expecting something big, but I have no idea what to do. The only thing I have planned for Christmas is going home to see the family, like I do every year…and we were just there…so that's nothing special…plus, I don't wanna overwhelm her with my family…I love 'em, but I don't wanna have to split my time between all of them, and Linka. And what if she doesn't want to see my family again…what if she wants to see hers…? THAT'S IT!!!"

"What?"

"We all usually go home for Christmas. Linka went home last year and hasn't been back since. Maybe that's what we can do…but I still don't know what to get her for a gift," I say.

"I think that is a great idea. The gift is not that important as seeing her family."

"I gotta find her and tell her! Do me a favor, set this tree back up in my room. She and I will decorate it later. Thanks, you guys are the best," I yell as I leap over the pieces of fake tree and my clothes and head out the doorway.

"Anytime my friend. Glad we could help," I hear Kwame say.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	6. Deck The Yankee

Continuing on with Wheeler's point of view...thanks for all the reviews...you're gonna hate me!

* * *

_Chapter 6_

**_Deck the Yankee_**

I rush to Linka's cabin in the off chance that she's returned from her swim. After knocking on her door, I assume she's still at the beach. I run from her hut towards the beach when Gi stops me.

"You're an idiot, you know that right?"

"Yeah I know, you're the fourth person today that's hold me that. Look Gi, I don't…"

"No, you look…we can't be friends anymore Wheeler."

"Wha-? Gi!? I know you're mad, but that's no…"

"Oh, I'm not mad. I'm disappointed that things didn't work out with you and Linka, but I'm not mad...that much. Actually, I still really like you. But you see, I got you a crappy Christmas present. All I got you was a gift card. I couldn't think of anything else. I guess that makes me a bad friend, and therefore, unworthy of your friendship. So, we can't be friends."

"That's just stupid," I say.

"I KNOW!" She yells back.

"I see the point you're trying to make…I get it. But I don't have time for your lectures and 'I told you soes.' I need to talk to Linka."

"She _was_ swimming. Then I saw her get out and head down the beach…in past the tree line."

"I know _exactly_ where she's going."

* * *

I take off in a full sprint, into the tropical forest. Our trees…that's gotta be where she went. (A/N: Stop and go see Bunnies and Baskets if you don't remember their trees! Two thirds of the way down the page).

Sure enough, when I get there, she's standing next to one of the trees, her fingers tracing over the heart with my name that I carved into the tree. I don't want to startle her, but I don't want to interrupt her. If she hears me approaching, she doesn't show it. I step behind her and brush her long, still wet hair off her shoulder, and clear the way for my lips to move from her shoulder to her neck. She tilts her head to the side to give me better access. I'm pleased by the fact that she seems to be encouraging me, not pushing me away. My gentle kisses turn more insistent, as I only have one thing on my mind...convincing her to forgive me, and showing her why she should take me back...because we are too good together...we are too good at _this_. I turn her in my arms so that now she is facing me, and I am able to brush my lips across the top of her bikini top as I run my hands up her sides and slide my fingertips under the edges of the black material. She begins sighing heavily and hums as I take her skin between my teeth, intent on leaving a mark.

"NYET!" she yells as she pushes me away and slaps me across the face.

I stumble backwards from the force of her blow and rub my jaw.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" she screams. "You think you can mark me? I do not belong to you anymore. You cannot touch me like that. You cannot kiss me like that. You have lost that privilege and it is your own fault. I told you, all of me…or none of me."

"I know. I pick all. I know what I can do for you for Christmas…What do you say we go to Russia to see _YOUR_ family this time?"

"I told Gi not to talk to you…" Linka says.

"She didn't. She said a few things to me on my way out here to find you, but nothing about Russia…I'd already come up with that on my own…while Kwame and Ma-Ti were trying to talk sense into me. It solves all our problems."

"Nyet."

"No? You don't want to go?"

"Nyet…I am not going. You think that solves all our problems? We had no problems until your little…episode…crisis…whatever you want to call it."

"I'm ok now. I just needed an idea and now I know how to make this Christmas special for you."

"Wheeler…this Christmas has already been ruined for me…I have had some time to think…how do I know that you will not do this again…break up with me just because you cannot think of a good present? It is ridiculous! It is selfish! Of all the stupid reasons to break up with someone…you could not even find a good reason. It is not like you found someone else, or you got mad at me for talking to another guy…or…or…I said something to make you mad...Nyet, you broke up with me because…because…you could not find me a Christmas present? That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I love you and you were willing to break my heart over something so stupid…you had NO regard for my feelings. You were only thinking of yourself…wallowing in your own self-pity. 'Ooooh poor Wheeler, he cannot out do his last surprise…therefore, that must make him a bad boyfriend and the only way to make things right is to break up with his girlfriend….to hell with her feelings and what she wants!"

"Linka, please…let's just forget…"

"FORGET?! Like you forgot my feelings? Like you forgot to consider what this would do to me? How I would feel? Yes Wheeler, let us forget. That will make everything all better. FOOL! I **cannot** forget! I **cannot** turn off my feelings as easily as you."

"I didn't turn them off…I never turned them off. I always have…I always **will** love you. I just had a momentary lapse in judgment," I say.

"I did too. It started when I let Trish talk me into doing those body shots. I let my guard down…that wall that I had built up to keep myself from being hurt…I let you in…and you hurt me, just like I always knew you would."

"I know…and I'm sorry. I'm gonna fix it."

"It is too late to fix Wheeler. The damage is done."

"No. Don't say that. I know you don't mean it. You're mad…and you have every right to be. I was a jerk. I was a dumbass. Pushing you away was the stupidest thing I've ever done. I get it. Let me make it up to you," I plead.

"How?" She asks.

"I told you," I say as I take her hands in mine. "I wanna go to Russia with you for Christmas. You've met my family…now I'd like to get to know yours. When I first met them, it wasn't exactly under the best circumstances. I want to spend Christmas with them."

"That is not possible."

"Why? Don't you guys have Christmas?"

"Of course we have Christmas durak! We just do not celebrate it on the 25th like you do."

"Why don't you celebrate Christmas ON Christmas?" I ask.

"We DO! It is just that our Christmas is January 7th."

"Babe, Christmas always has, and always will be December 25th…did the Soviets change it just to be different?" I joke. The look on her face tells me that she's not amused.

"Nyet smartass. Russian Orthodox Christmas is on January 7th because of the old Julian calendar."

"But every year, when we all go home for Christmas ON THE 25th, you go home too."

"What should I do? Stay by myself on the island and then go home two weeks later when everyone else is back? Nyet, I just go home because everyone else went home. Besides, Christmas is not such a big deal in Russia as it is elsewhere," I explain.

"Why not?"

"After the 1917 Revolution, Christmas was banned throughout Russia, along with other religious celebrations. It wasn't until 75 years later, in 1992, that the holiday was openly observed. Today, it's once again celebrated in grand fashion, with the faithful participating in an all-night Mass."

"Oh wow. That's crazy! No Christmas?! And what's this 'Julian Calendar'?"

"In ancient times, many, mostly unreliable methods had been used to calculate the dates according to either the lunar or solar cycles. By Roman times, the calendar had become three months out with the seasons, so in 46 BC, Julius Caesar commissioned an astronomer, Sosigenes, to devise a more reliable method. This, we know as the Julian Calendar and was used widely for 1500 years. However, this calendar was still a few minutes longer than the solar year, so that by the year 1580, the calendar had accumulated 10 days off again. So in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII corrected the difference between the sun and calendar by ordering 10 days dropped from October, the month with the least Roman Catholic Feast days. His calendar, we know as the Gregorian Calendar, which is used in almost all of the world today. That year, 1582, October 5th became October 15th and was immediately adopted in most Roman Catholic nations of Europe. Various German states kept the Julian Calendar until 1700. Britain and the American Colonies didn't change until 1752, but Russia and Turkey did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar until the early 1900's. So, January 7th by the Georgian Calendar would have been December 25th by the old Julian Calendar and is therefore why it is still Christmas Day for the Russian Orthodox Church. Many Russians will have celebrated along with the rest of the world on December 25th and will then celebrate again on the Orthodox date."

"Two Christmases? Cool. I never knew that. See, I need you. You teach me so much," I say sweetly but sincerely.

"Too late. You should have thought about how much **you** needed **me** before you decided to presume that **I **did not need **you**. Now if you do not mind, I came here to be alone…so either you leave, or I will."

When I make no move to leave, she starts to walk away.

"No. You stay. I'll go, if that's what you really want," I says.

"Nyet. It is what YOU want."

"Not now…not anymore! Not ever…I thought…"

"NYET WHEELER, THAT IS THE PROBLEM…YOU DID NOT _**THINK**_…NOW GO!" she yells.

* * *

When I get back to my cabin, I see that Kwame and Ma-Ti have re-assembled the Christmas tree in my room. I thought I'd be bringing Linka back here to see it and tell her that I can't wait to go shopping with her and pick out ornaments for our tree. But, I've returned empty handed. I've really screwed things up. I wanna knock down the tree. I wanna rip it apart, piece by piece, throw it out the window and use my ring to torch it. But instead, I retrieve the ornament Linka bought me and I place it in the center of the tree, the lone decoration. A painful reminder of how I ruined two people's Christmas. I deserve all the hurt that seeing that ornament brings. It's presence mocking me and a constant reminder of what an idiot I am.

* * *

To Be Continued...

See, I told you you'd hate me! As I was reading the reviews for the last chapter, and everyone was getting all excited that things were looking up...but I knew all along that there was still THIS chapter...so, sorry to get your hopes up...just didn't want to be too predictable and have it resolved so quickly.


	7. All I Want For Christmas Is You

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

* * *

_Chapter 7_

**_All I Want For Christmas Is You_**

Wheeler sadly turns and walks away. I am torn. Part of me wants to continue making him feel guilty and beg for my forgiveness. Then part of me worries that he'll give up and stop fighting for me. What then? Then my plan will have backfired. I lay down on the hammock and contemplate the situation…Why am I being so childish anyways? I am being no better than Wheeler and his childish reasons for breaking up. All I want to do is go to him and have him hold me in his arms and kiss him and…

I know I am doing this to make him suffer, but I am making myself suffer as well. And laying in this damn hammock is adding to that suffering. I cannot stay here. This is where we would come to be alone where no one else could find us. Where I would lay for hours in his arms, sleeping, talking, kissing…alot of kissing. I must go. There are too many memories, too many reminders of how good things used to be. And it is my fault that we are not laying in this hammock right now, forgetting the events that transpired today. Pretending it never happened. It is my fault for being stubborn and not taking him back as soon as he admitted he was wrong…that is all I wanted…was for him to realize he was wrong…and when he did…what did I do? I was a fool. I had to make him suffer more. And now I am suffering more too. I am just as big an idiot as he is. We really are perfect for each other…which is exactly what I am going to tell him…tonight.

I consider going back to my cabin and changing out of my bikini and into some real clothes, but that is just precious time that I do not want to waste. I run back to his cabin as fast as I can. All of the lights are off. Maybe he is asleep…last night was a rough night and neither one of us slept very well…perhaps he went to be early...but I have a few things in mind that will wake him up.

I knock softly on the door so as not to startle him. No answer. Maybe he just wants to be left alone…but maybe if he knows it is me, he will open the door.

"Wheeler?"

Still no answer. So I pound harder on his door.

"WHEELER! Let me in…I need to talk to you."

Silence. And then I hear foot steps behind me.

I turn around quickly, hoping that it is Wheeler.

"Kwame? Have you seen Wheeler?"

"I am afraid you will not find him in there. Or at all. He left a few minutes ago."

"Left? Where did he go?"

"He did not say. He came out of his cabin with his knapsack and asked if either Ma-Ti or I would take him to the States," Kwame explains.

"Back to New York?"

"I do not know where he wanted to go. Just that it looked like he was planning on staying there for a while."

"I need to talk to him. It is very important…before he goes and does something stupid," I say.

"What do you think he would do?"

"I do not know…it is Wheeler…he is impulsive. What if he goes home and goes out with his friends?"

"And how is that a bad thing?" Kwame asks.

"I do not know…what if he goes out and has too much to drink. What if he gets drunk and…" I pause because I cannot even believe that I am thinking it.

"And what?" Kwame asks.

"Trish."

"What about her? Surly you do not think that Wheeler would…"

"Nyet, of course not…well, maybe…I do not know!" I say as I shake my head, trying to get the image out of my head. "We are not together…he is free to do what he wants."

"He wants you Linka," Kwame says as he puts his hand on my shoulder. "He will not betray you."

"But that is just it…it will not be a betrayal if he thinks that we are through…and Trish…she drinks…alot…and she gets flirty…and…well, they have a history."

"Whether you are officially together or not…Wheeler will not do anything because _**he**_ will see it as a betrayal of you. It is why he would never do anything more than flirt with other girls. He would do it to get your attention, but would never do anything more because he was never interested in anyone else but you. Plus he knew that even though you tried not to show it, you cared for him and that if he ever did move on with another girl, it would hurt you. And he would never do that intentionally. He would not do it then, and he will not do it now."

"Thank you Kwame."

"You are welcome…now that you have calmed down, think about how you can get in touch with Wheeler."

"Bozhe Moy! I am so stupid! The communicator on the Geo Cruiser! And I can also track where they are going!" I shout as I rush towards the Crystal Chamber's control panel.

Once I get there and turn it on, I get a blank screen and no radio response. They are not showing up on the radar either.

"Chort voz mi!"

They must be in stealth mode…but why? We only do that when we are trying to sneak up on Eco Villains. Obviously, Wheeler is going out of his way to avoid me. Fine. He can shut off the radio, but Ma-Ti cannot shut off his power! So I close my eyes and concentrate…

"Ma-Ti…Ma-Ti, can you hear me? I need your help."

* * *

To Be Continued...


	8. Oh Christmas Tree

_Chapter 8_

**_Oh Christmas Tree_**

"Wheeler…Linka is trying to contact me…what should I do?" Ma-Ti asks me.

"Block her out. I don't want her to know what I'm doing. I just need to get everything organized and then I can win her back."

"But what if she…"

"Ma-Ti, no 'buts' just concentrate on blocking her out. If she knows where we are, she'll figure out what I'm doing and then that'll give her time to think up excuses to turn me down."

"What am I supposed to say to her when I go back? You know she will be ready to interrogate me!"

"I don't know…just tell her you dropped me off and don't know what I am doing."

"Oh yeah. And she is going to accept that and just give up. How silly of me to not think that Linka would give up so easily…after all, it is not like she is not one of the most stubborn people I know…tied with you of course. She is going to keep asking where you are," Ma-Ti says.

"Then tell her the truth. Tell her you promised me you wouldn't tell."

"I think I will have to go into hiding."

"I owe ya big time little buddy."

"Remember that bet we discussed earlier? A week of kitchen clean up duty…?"

"Yeeeeeeah."

"That will be payment enough!"

"You drive a hard bargain Ma-Ti…but she's worth it…so you have yourself a deal," I say as I shake his hand.

Ma-Ti drops me off in Florida and I start my shopping. It wasn't exactly what she had planned, but it's my last shot.

* * *

When Ma-Ti arrived back at the island, he tried his best to avoid me. Of course I was at the landing strip waiting for him. He did a good job of deflecting all of my questions. I could tell he was scared. What more could I do? He promised Wheeler he would not say anything and Ma-Ti would never break a promise, just as I could never expect him to. I knew he would tell me if he was able to.

I did not get much sleep that night. The next morning, I woke up with an idea. I was going to decorate the Christmas tree I bought for Wheeler and I. Instead of decorating it together like I had planned, I was going to decorate it myself, but using decorations that I thought reminded me of him. This meant I needed another shopping trip and I did not have a hard time convincing Gi to go with me.

* * *

When we returned and I went to Wheeler's cabin to retrieve the tree, I was expecting to find it still in pieces. I was surprised to see that it had been assembled and placed in the middle of the room. There was one lone ornament on it...the one I bought him. Not for long though...soon there would be others.

First I started with the lights...do you have any idea how hard it is to find strings of light that are all red?! They have all white, all blue, and multi-colored. But eventually, I was able to find some all red lights. Next, I dig through the bag of ornaments and pull out the red and silver glass bulbs. For some strange reason, they reminded me of his ring. I found this store that had all sorts of collectible ornaments...I spent a small fortune, but it was worth it for Wheeler. There was a New York Yankees logo, a New York Giants football helmet...and a New York Jets football helmet. Wheeler cheered for whichever team was having a good year...he called himself a 'fair weather fan.' I also got him ornaments with the New York Rangers and the New York Knicks...he was not a big basketball fan, but it said "New York" and I was buying ornaments that reminded me of Wheeler...and when I think of New York, I think of Wheeler. I even found a collectible Joe DiMaggio ornament. They had a Marilyn Monroe ornament too, but they were all sold out! The next ornament was a mouse on a surfboard. There was one with Snoopy sitting on top of his decorated house. Every year, he would make us all watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Not that we minded. It is a cute show. I found an ornament with a Bald Eagle and had to have it for the tree, not just because I think they are a beautiful bird, but the bird not only represents America but Wheeler as well...strong, fierce, brave, bold...gorgeous. I got an ornament of the planet because...well, we are Planeteers and the whole reason we met was because of the Earth and the need to take better care of it! The last ornament I got him was simple...It was an American flag...no explanation necessary.

There weren't nearly enough ornaments to make the tree look full, but it was the best I could do. I hope Wheeler likes it.

* * *

To Be Continued...I'm sorry guys....I'm WAAAAAAAAAAY far behind. I wanted to be about 3 chapters from where I am right now and wanted a certain chapter written and posted on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...but I just ran out of time. Sooooo, I'm gonna try and spend the weekend doing some major catch up! But I have family in from out of town and have already committed to several parties...And I'm not even close to where I wanna be for New Years! AAAAAAAAAH!!!


	9. And A Partridge In A Pear Tree

_Chapter 9_

**_And A Partridge In A Pear Tree_**

I'd been gone for almost two weeks. It was now the morning of Christmas Eve. I'd finally gotten everything that I wanted and needed for my surprise for Linka. Either this was going to work, or blow up in my face and she'd still be mad at me. Ma-Ti came back to get me and told me all about how Linka pretty much left him alone after a few questions. I don't know what to make of that...she didn't want to pressure Ma-Ti...or she didn't really care that I was gone. Hell, maybe she was relieved that I'd be out of her hair for a few days. Maybe that time away wasn't a good idea...maybe it made it too easy for her to forget me...to get over our...separation. I'm expecting her to be there when the Geo Cruiser lands.

She's not.

I guess I was going to have to go get her to show her what I'd been working on these last two weeks...if she even cared. But first, I needed to go to my room to drop off my things.

As soon as I open my door, I see the Christmas tree. It looks alot different than when I left.

"What the...?"

"I hope you do not mind," a voice says from behind me.

I turn to see Linka standing in the doorway.

"Why would I mind?"

"I came into your room while you were gone," she says.

"I don't care. You can come in here whenever you want. It was kinda your room too for a while there."

"Da...about that..."

"Before you say anything, let me explain..."

"Nyet. Let me. Well, actually, let the tree explain."

"The tree?" I ask.

"Take a closer look. The ornaments...they are all things that..."

"Remind you of me?"

"Da...how did you know...Did Gi..."

"No, Gi didn't tell me. I just knew because...well...I kinda had the same idea," I say as I hold up one of the bags I was holding. She gives me a half smile which slowly spreads to a broader one, and there's a sparkle in her eyes...then I realize that those are tears forming...but they are happy ones.

I dump the contents of one of the bags onto my bed. Blue and white string lights, light blue glass bulbs with silver glittery swirls...the swirls reminded me of the wind. And of course the wind will always remind me of Linka, which is why we need to get back together because I can't spend the rest of my life being sad every time the wind blows. I hold up the ornaments and explain them to her.

"A music note...for obvious reasons. A bird...once again, duh. I found this booth that was selling all sorts of ethnic Christmas things. So I got this little Russian flag, and the Russian version of Santa Claus...I forget what the lady called it."

"Ded Moroz," she says.

"Yeah! That's it. And I think this one is my favorite," I say as I hold it up and hand it to her.

"Marilyn! They were sold out of it at the place I bought my ornaments."

"Yeah, they were sold out of it at the first three places I went to. I was finally able to track her down. I _**had **_to have it though."

"It is perfect. Here, we will put it right next to Joe!"

"Joe?" I ask as she hangs her ornament next to Joe DiMaggio. "Oh my God! I didn't even see that one! That's awesome!"

"I got it at the same store that I got all of the sports ones. They had all these ornaments that were 'legends' from all sports."

"Well I love it! Almost as much as I lo-" I don't finish what I was going to say. I'm getting positive vibes about this whole 'reconciliation' thing, but I don't want to push it. Maybe she still just wants to be friends. "Err, so I've got some more for you. I think this one was meant to be a gift for a teacher, but it's a stack of books and it made me think of you cuz you're so smart."

"Nyet, Wheeler...I am not so smart as you think. Sometimes, I can be quiet stupid."

"Isn't everyone at some point? I know I can relate," I say sadly. "Buuuuuut, I think I might have found something that I can teach you...I found it pretty interesting when I found out."

"What is it?"

"You know the song, 'The 12 Days of Christmas?'"

"Da, of course."

"I always thought it was a pretty weird song, french hens, turtle doves, leaping lords, pipers piping...those are weird gifts to give to your true love."

"Bozhe Moy Wheeler...you did not..."

"Get you those gifts? haha, No. The twelve drummers wanted way too much money and charged by the hour!" I joke, which earns me a smile and a chuckle from Linka. I never realized just how much I loved hearing her laugh until I realized that I might never hear it again.

I begin my history lesson for her.

"For almost 300 years, Roman Catholics in England weren't permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember. The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostle's Creed....so I got you these," I say as I pull out a bouquet of twelve roses and hand them to her. "A dozen red roses, symbolizing love. Because I believe that I made a huge mistake. I believe you're the only person I'll ever love."

"Thank you," she says as she takes the roses and smells them.

"You're welcome."

"The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. So I found this little flute ornament...I can't 'pipe' anything, but I can promise that I'll always be faithful."

I hand her the ornament and she hangs it on the tree.

"The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments...So here's an ornament with two penguins because penguins mate for life...and one of the Ten Commandments is 'Thou shall not commit adultery...and I want us to be like penguins. I don't want anyone else but you."

After she puts the ornament on the tree, I continue,

"Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. Sooooo here's a peace symbol because I don't wanna fight with you ever again. We had most of those things; kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, mostly there was peace between us; we definitely had joy and love; we've both shown patience because it feels like I waited forever for you...and I'll keep waiting as long as I have to...plus you've been patient with me when I get...annoying. The one thing we had trouble with was self control...but I'm not complaining."

She smiles and nods her head in agreement.

"The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. One of them says 'blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.' So this ornament of the earth is for all of us Planeteers and everyone else who is doing their part to save the earth. And if it weren't for the Planeteers, I would have never met you."

"I got you a similar ornament...see?" She says as she points it out. "For almost the same reasons. I am grateful that we were both chosen to be Planeteers."

"Cool...it's true what they say about great minds I guess! The seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit --Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. So this swan ornament represents all those things because _**you **_represent all those things."

"You think so?" she asks.

"I _**know**_ so. You do all those things as a Planeteer, but I have a pretty good feeling those were all qualities you had _**before**_ joining the group...part of the reason why Gaia chose you."

She blushes at the compliment, but I don't know why. She should already know these things...or maybe it's just different when other people say it.

"The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation...so I got this..."

"A baby?"

"Yeah. Um, for creation. I...we are...you are...the one that I want to...create stuff with," I struggle for the right words.

"'Stuff?'"

"Yeah. A future. A home. A...family."

"Wheeler..."

"I know. It's too soon to be thinking of stuff like babies, especially since we're technically broken up, but I do think about it once in a while...what it would be like. What a great mom you'd be. And I almost screwed that all up, but I wanna fix it. Please. Gimme a chance," I plead.

"Keep going with the explanation of the song," she prompts.

"Ok, this is where it gets tricky...the five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament...I have no idea what to do for that, or how to make anything out of it...so here's some brass knuckles...5 goldish colored rings...which are against the law...sooooo, yeah."

"Wheeler! Where on earth did you get brass knuckles!"

"Umm, let's not talk about it. Just a little souvenir from my past...next is the four calling birds which represent the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I'm not creative enough to come up with one for that. I'm not religious, you're not religious...so onto the next one!

"Wheeler! That is a terrible way to think!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Feel free to come up with something for that one then...go ahead...I'll wait."

After a few moments of pondering, she shakes her head.

"You are right. I can think of nothing!"

"See...moving on to the three french hens...they stood for faith, hope, and love. So I got this..." I show her the ornament that looks almost exactly like the one she got me. Except this one has "Our second Christmas" engraved in it. "But this one is for next year's tree, because I have _faith_ that we can get through this, and I _hope_ you can eventually forgive me because I _love_ you."

A single tear is rolling down her cheek as she examines the ornament. She's not saying anything, so I continue,

"The two turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments. Again, I got nothin' for that...other than, I hope we can forget the old and start new."

"I do not want to forget the old, Wheeler. Most of it was wonderful."

"Yeah...it was. It still can be. Last one...the partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ. Our tree doesn't have anything on top of it, so I got this star for it, like the star of Bethlehem. It brought the three Wisemen to Jesus, and it tops off the tree that holds all of the ornaments that represent us...so hopefully it brings us together too. This has been the most miserable two weeks of my life. I've learned my lesson. I can't live without you...so even if I'm not good enough for you, and I think you deserve better...I'm too selfish to give you up...so you're stuck with me."

"Well, you big dummy...it is your fault these last two weeks have been miserable..._FOR BOTH OF US_! You left the island. After you left me at our trees, I reconsidered. You and I are perfect for each other. The fact that we _**both **_had the same idea about the tree ornaments that reminded us of each other is the perfect example. I came looking for you that night to tell you that I was sorry for the way I reacted. That I should have taken you back immediately. That I wanted to, but part of me was being too stubborn and wanted to make you suffer, but I was only hurting myself. Then you went away. I could not reach you on the Geo Cruiser's communications, nor could I get in touch with Ma-Ti. I had no idea where you were for two weeks! I was worried, I was upset...I thought you were back in New York. I thought your family would hate me...I thought...never mind."

"No, what? What did you think?"

"That something would happen if you were in New York."

"Something like what?"

"Like...Trish."

"Linka?!"

"I know. It is a stupid insecurity...but she is your first love and they say you never forget your first love," she says.

"That's right...you don't ever forget your first love, but you're wrong. Trish isn't my first love..._**you**_ are. Trish was my first girlfriend...the first girl I ever had feelings for...I might've thought that I loved her...but then I met you and those feelings were a million times stronger, and I realized that I didn't even know what love was until then." I step closer to her and hold her face in my hands so that I can look her straight in the eyes as I declare, "You're the FIRST and ONLY girl I've ever truly loved. _**you're**_ the one I'll never forget. Got it?"

We stand there like that for awhile while I wait for her answer. She takes a deep breath, smiles, and nods her head.

"Da, got it."

"Good," I say before crushing my lips to hers and kissing her like...well, like it's been two weeks since we've kissed. We've got alot of missed time to make up for.

I have her backed up against the wall and have my body pressed against her, pinning her to the wall. This isn't gonna last very long. I slide her vest off and begin un-tucking her shirt from her shorts so that I can run my hands underneath it. She's doing the same to me. We break apart long enough to pull our shirts over our heads and I immediately head straight for her neck and work my way down to her stomach. I slide my hands up her legs and am just about to undo the button when...

_Knock knock knock_

I lean my forehead against her stomach and groan in frustration.

"Chort voz'mi! If that is Gi...!" Linka whispers breathlessly.

* * *

To Be Continued...moving right along! Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon! I'm writing it now! I promise!


	10. I'll Be Home For Christmas

I am SOOOOOOO sorry it's taken so long and this fic is so far behind...the New Year is practically here and I haven't even done Christmas yet. Not enough hours in the day!

Think I'm gonna change the rating to M from here on out do to some suggestive language in this chapter. Mind the kiddies!

* * *

_Chapter 10_

**_I'll Be Home For Christmas_**

"Maybe if we ignore her, she'll go away," Linka whispers as she laces her fingers through my hair and encourages me to continue.

"WHEELER?! Have you seen Linka?! She is supposed to fly Gi and I home," Kwame says.

"She's in here, unwrapping her Christmas present…Can't Ma-Ti do it?" I pant, slightly winded from our activities.

"No, he has already taken the Eco Copter and left for home. Gi's parents are stationed at the Ivory Coast doing research and she is joining them there, and I am catching a flight from there to Kenya. Linka said she would take us, and then she was going home for a few days."

"Da, Kwame. I will still take you...just...give me a few..." she pauses as I pick her up and carry her over to the bed. "...minutes!"

I waggle my eyebrows at her and continue.

"Bozhe moy!" she gasps as she raises her hand to her mouth and bites down on her knuckles.

I move her hand away from her mouth and replace it with my lips. I intertwine our fingers, raising her hand above her head, as she whimpers against my lips, using my mouth to muffle her sighs.

"We do not have time! I have been looking all over for you. If I miss my flight, there is not another one going out for two days. I will miss Christmas with my family and friends back home."

"Then we'll take you after we drop Gi off. It's no big deal dude!" I yell.

"Yes, it is a big deal, _**dude**_. Georgie is also there doing research. She is meeting me at the airport and we are flying to Kenya together. We've already purchased tickets."

"Ooooh, taking Dr. Carver home to meet the family?" I tease.

"No time for jokes Wheeler! Gi is prepping the Geo Cruiser for flight. As soon as she is done, we are leaving, so if Linka wants to go home, she better be there."

"Ok, I will be there in five minutes," she says as we continue.

"No, Linka. NOW!"

"Kwame, **_PLEASE_**!" she cries.

"We are already ten minutes off schedule!"

"Just let 'em go Babe. We'll go to Russia when you _really_ celebrate Christmas on the 7th," I mumble against her skin.

"Nyet, my family is expecting me. What am I supposed to tell them 'Sorry, I did not make it home, I had to have sex instead!' Besides, there is no guarantee that we will not be off on a mission," she whispers to me, then calls out to Kwame, "We are coming Kwame."

"Or at least we're trying to!" I mumble against her neck.

"I mean it you two, we are leaving," he says.

"He's bluffing," I tell her.

"Wheeler, get off."

"I'm tryin'!"

"STOP IT! You know what I mean!" she says as she playfully slaps my chest. "Get dressed and hurry up and pack. You promised me a trip to Russia, remember?"

"Daaaaaa, I remember," I moan as I roll off of her and disentangle ourselves from the sheets.

* * *

After we are both dressed, Linka walks up to me and takes my hands.

"Wheeler, I know it is frustrating…believe me, I was looking forward to being together just as much as you were…but it is better this way."

"What?! How is it better? Do you have ANY IDEA how difficult it is to just…stop?!"

"Da, I do. I have never felt so empty and unsatisfied in my life," she says as I grab my bags as she leads me out the door. "But we deserve better than a frantic 'romp.' Our…reconciliation should be savored and celebrated slowly."

"And all night!" I add.

"Da," she says as she reaches up to kiss my cheek. "Tonight…all night."

My mood immediately changes. At least I have something to look forward to. I toss our bags into the Geo Cruiser and help her up.

"Come on Kwame…what's takin' so long? Let's roll!" I yell to him.

* * *

After we dropped Kwame and Gi off, we were on our way to Russia. I tried to convince Linka to put the Geo Cruiser on auto pilot and we could finish what we started…it was a long flight to Russia…it wouldn't be rushed or frantic, we could still savor it like she wanted to. After some persuasive kissing, I almost had her convinced until we hit some bad weather and the plane needed to be flown manually. Why can't things just work out for us…I mean, it's Christmas Eve! I only want one thing and the universe is conspiring to keep us apart! I guess this is my punishment for being the idiot that caused the separation in the first place.

When we arrive in Russia, Mishka and Linka's Grandmother are waiting for us. We go inside and the table is set up with quite a spread!

"This smells great Mrs. Kozlova," I say as I take a deep breath.

"Please Wheeler, no need to be so formal. Call me Anya or Babushka, or whatever it is that you call Grandmothers in America," she says.

"Ok. I call my Grandma 'Gram' so I'll call you 'Gran,' if that's ok."

"That is fine."

"Here Wheeler, let me take those bags for you," Mishka says.

"Oh, that's ok. Just show me where Linka's room is and I'll drop them there."

"Linka's room is the last door on the right. Then after you drop her bag off, my room is right across the hall, so you can put your stuff there. You can have the bed, I will take the air mattress."

"Oh. Uhh, no…no. I can't take your bed. I'm fine with the air mattress."

"Mishka!" Linka says.

Then he says something in Russian. The way he said it, I'm guessing it was the equivalent to 'What?' and then she started rambling on in her native tongue, and he would reply. Ok. Awkward. While I had no idea what was actually being said, I'm pretty sure they were discussing our sleeping arrangements. So I took our bags back to the rooms. When I came out of Mishka's room, Gran was there looking at me with an apologetic smile.

"This brings me back to when they were younger…they would argue about everything…even when they agreed on something, they would find something to disagree about."

"Oh yeah? Well, Linka _**still**_ can't back down from an argument!" I laugh.

"Do you have siblings?" she asks.

"No."

"He is just being an over protective big brother."

"Uhh, yeah. It's cool. I understand. I'm like that with my cousins. If I had a little sister, I'd be the same way. And this is his and your place; we are just guests, so whatever you guys want…we'll abide by those rules."

"This is still Linka's home and she is an adult. She can do what she wishes…and you are an adult too. You have just proved your maturity by your previous statement. Besides, Mishka is not stupid…he has to know that his little sister is not so little anymore and that she is in love…it is safe to assume that she has…"

"WHEELER?!" Linka yells down the hallway.

"What?!" I practically squeal. Partly because I am relieved that her Grandma was interrupted, and partly because I was scared I was about to get yelled at by Linka.

"Where did you put those bags?" she asks.

"Umm, I put yours in your room, and mine in Mishka's."

"Nyet. Yours are going in my room!"

And once again, she and Mishka start going back and forth in Russian.

"Do you want to know what they are saying?" Gran asks with a smile.

"No. I think I get it."

"I do not think that you get **all** of it. She is telling him how much she loves you."

"Oh…well I already know that," I say, returning her smile.

Whatever Linka says next causes her grandmother to gasp, then chuckle. She smiles at me and shakes her head.

"WHEELER, GET OUR THINGS AND MEET ME OUTSIDE IN THE GEO CRUISER!" Linka yells.

"Uh-oh," I say to Gran as we walk back to the kitchen. "I'll go after her and talk some sense into her."

"Nyet Wheeler, it is pointless when she gets like this," Mishka says. "It is best to just ignore her and let her have her little temper tantrum. She will come back when she has cooled off."

"But she shouldn't be alone. When she does this, she just needs someone to talk to...or yell to…to blow off steam, or have them reason with her…believe me, I've gotten good at reasoning with her!"

"I think I know my sister," Mishka says defensively. "She has been running out on arguments since she was a child. She always comes back eventually."

"Mishka, darling…you know Linka as she _**was**_. Wheeler knows her as she** _is_**. She is not the child you knew anymore. She is a grown woman. Wheeler has spent the last seven years with her…has seen her change, and as he said, he is used to dealing with her when she gets like this," Gran says.

"So am I!"

"Da, but perhaps he has found a more effective way."

"But Grandmother…"

"Mishka, how old is your sister?" Gran asks.

"She is 22, you know that," he says.

"Da…but do you?" she questions.

He opens his mouth to say something, but quickly closes it when she pins him with an authoritative glare.

"Wheeler, go to her. Convince her to stay," Gran says.

So with her approval and a scowl from Mishka, I rush out the door looking for Linka.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	11. Baby It's Cold Outside

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I wanted to ring in the New Year with Wheeler and Linka...but they're still in Christmas mode...let's pretend we still use that old Julian Calendar that Linka was talking about since I'm behind!

* * *

_Chapter 11_

**_Baby, It's Cold Outside_**

AAAAH!!! HE IS SO FRUSTRATING!!! I thought Wheeler was the most frustrating man I have ever met..but no...I have reconsidered. Wheeler is perfect. My brother on the other hand...WHY COULD I HAVE NOT BEEN AN ONLY CHILD!? He still treats me like a kid…telling me how to live my life, bossing me around. I have been living on my own and making my own decisions for years now, and I think I have done just fine without him.

"Babe?"

"Finally! The Geo Cruiser is locked and…where are our bags?"

"Inside. You don't really wanna leave. Your Grandmother went through so much trouble to make that meal…and I'm starving."

"But Mishka…"

"…Is just being a big brother. I'd be the same way. What did you expect?"

"I expected him to treat me like an adult! And to be honest, I did not feel comfortable sharing a room with you here, but I did not know how to tell you. But I wanted that to be **_my_** decision, not have Mishka make it for me...he has no right..."

"Soooo, problem solved. We're not sharing a room, you didn't have to be the one to tell me, but even if you did, I'd understand. I know you were uncomfortable staying at my parents' house last month…I figured you'd be the same way here…except worse…and I'm ok with that. I wasn't expecting that we'd be sharing a room," he says.

"But we have not…we were going to…"

"I know. And as much as it kills me to say this…looks like we're going to have to wait a few days…err, a week."

"A week?!" I say.

"Yeah. You said that New Years was a bigger deal here than Christmas, so I thought we'd stick around and celebrate the new year here."

"Oh. I was hoping that we would go back to New York, to the hotel."

"Yeah…we will. Time difference, remember? We'll celebrate here, then fly back West to New York, and celebrate there…two New Years. It's like we'll be going back in time!"

"That sounds fun. Not many people can say they have done that!"

"Yeah, and I'm sure we can find some alone time during the week," he says suggestively as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close.

"Well, Mishka does have to go to work and Grandmother goes out grocery shopping…" I purr as I pull his head down for a kiss.

He pulls away suddenly.

"What is wrong?" I ask.

"Your brother…what if he sees…I mean…I don't want him to get pissed."

"Let him," I say as I reach for him to draw him towards me for another kiss. Right before our lips meet, he says,

"What if he kicks my ass?"

"Then I will kick his," I promise with a smile as I close the small distance between us, wrapping my arms around him as we kiss.

When we finish, I rest my cheek on his chest and pull him as close to me as I can. He bends his head and buries his nose in my hair.

"Wheeler…I have a confession."

"What?" He asks, sounding worried.

"When Mishka and I were arguing…I told him that I loved you."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I…sort of told him that after…"

"After what?" He asks, pulling away slightly so that he can look me in the eyes.

"After I told him that it did not matter where we slept because it was not like we had never…done anything before. And that he could keep us apart while we were in Russia, but he had no control over me when I was on Hope Island…and that we would just make up for all the lost time when we got home."

"Linka!" He exclaims in shock and his cheeks turn red…and it is not from the cold. "Oh crap! Gran! She heard all that too?!"

"Da. Probably."

"No...definitely! SHE ASKED ME IF I WANTED HER TO TRANSLATE!!! Oh man…no wonder she was looking at me like that with that…smile…Awww no! And when she asked me if I wanted to know what you were saying…she was sort of...laughing. How am I supposed to go back there and face her?!"

"Wheeler…do you honestly think that they did not already know?"

"Well…I mean…I'm sure if they thought about it, they'd assume…but you just put it right out there! Now they're gonna think I'm just some scumbag from Brooklyn who's…violating their little sister and granddaughter!"

"Well…you are!" I tease.

"Funny."

"Except you are not a 'scumbag.' You are my boyfriend, and I like it when we violate!" I chuckle.

"I _**love it**_ when we violate!" He laughs also as he holds my face in his hands as we kiss.

I make my way from his lips to his neck and lean my head on his shoulder so I can nuzzle my nose against his neck. He kisses my cheek then moves to press his lips against my ear as he rubs his hands up and down my back and says,

"What're we doin' standing out here? Baby, it's cold outside," he says in a singsong voice, causing me to chuckle.

"Let us go inside then. I do not want you catching a cold…I want you healthy so that when we leave here…" I trail off as I place light kisses up his neck, to his ear, and then press my nose against his cheek for warmth.

"Violating?"

"Da…lots of violating!"

* * *

We go inside and Wheeler takes a deep breath, taking in the aromas of Grandmushka's cooking.

"Ooooh, look who came back?" Mishka antagonizes me.

"Da. Lucky for you Wheeler has the magic touch and can convince me to change my mind with just a little kiss…or in this case, _several_, **not so little** kisses."

"Smells great! When do we eat?" Wheeler asks, expertly trying to change the subject.

"After church!" Mishka bites back.

"After?"

"Da. After."

"I will make you a sandwich, Lyubov moya," I tell Wheeler.

"What about the fast?" Mishka asks me in Russian.

"Speak English when Wheeler is around…it is rude to speak when he cannot understand."

"Sorry," he says sincerely.

"And Wheeler does not need to fast. He does not need to practice our customs…"

"Wait…what? Customs? No, I wanna do whatever it is that you do," my sweet Wheeler says.

"Nyet Yankee, you have not eaten all day."

"Yeah, that's kinda the point of fasting Babe...and neither have you. I can wait."

"You do not have to Wheeler," I say as I take his hand and smile at him.

"I want to," he says, brushing his fingertips down my cheek and looking at me as if I am the only person in the room. "All year I've shared my customs with you…now you share yours with me."

"Ok," I say as I gently kiss his lips. I do not do it to anger Mishka or put on a show. I do it because I love the man standing in front of me with all my heart.

"Linka darling, you and Wheeler must be tired from your travels…perhaps you would like to stay home and get some rest," Grandmother says with a wink.

Ok, that is a little…nyet, **very** awkward. Is my grandmother trying to give Wheeler and I some 'alone time'? Too weird. The real question is, is it wrong that I want to skip church to be with Wheeler?

"She cannot miss church! And she cannot be left alone with her boyfriend! She has made it perfectly clear what her intentions with him are!"

"ZATK`NIS MISHKA!!!" I yell.

"What happened to only speaking English?" He asks.

"Fine…SHUT UP MISHKA!!! Just for that, we **will **stay home, and the whole time you are at church, you can wonder what Wheeler and I are doing…and where we are doing it! My room, your room, the living room…the kitchen!?"

"LINKA!" Wheeler gasps.

"I am not going to church then. I will stay here and babysit if I must!" Mishka says.

"Nyet Mishka, you are going to church," Grandmother says.

"But…"

"Nyet! Linka and Wheeler have an excuse to miss it. They have been traveling all day. She only said those things to upset you, I am sure. And I am disappointed in _BOTH_ of you and your behavior. You are both adults…now act like it!" she says sternly.

"Da, Babushka," we say at the same time.

"Umm, if it's ok with you Babe, I'd like to go to church…"

_Huh_?!

"I mean…we actually gained a few hours, it's still evening in our time zone…so I'm not really that tired…and it _**is**_ Christmas…we really should go to Church."

_Durak_!

"What is the point? You are not going to be able to understand anything!" I say, trying to salvage any chance we have of being alone.

"Doesn't matter…I don't really get it when it's in English either! Haha! Seriously though, praying is praying and church is church. Doesn't matter what religion or what language, as long as I'm actually _INSIDE_ a church on Christmas, I won't feel guilty!"

"Ok…if that is what you want, that is what we'll do," I say.

"Whatever you would normally do on Christmas Eve, that's what I want to do," he says.

"I love you," I say softly as I wrap my arms around his neck.

"I love you too!" he replies as he kisses my cheek.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	12. T'was The Night Before Christmas

Now would be a good time to mention that a while ago, tinee requested that I do a fic about Wheeler and Linka already being in a relationship, but going to Russia to meet her family...and Mishka having a hard time accepting his sister's boyfriend (and the activities that boyfriends and girlfriends do!). I had already planned on sending Wheeler and Linka to Russia for Christmas, but Mishka is being especially over protective to sort of grant Tinee's request since she didn't want to attempt to write a fic! Hope this is sort of what you had in mind and it meets your expectations!

* * *

_Chapter 12_

**_T'was The Night Before Christmas_**

We returned from church a few hours later. It was nice. I saw many familiar faces that I had not seen since…well, since last year when I came home for Christmas. Only this time, I had Wheeler with me and I was happy to show him off to old friends. The way he held my hand the whole time, or had his arm around me while we sat through Mass…for the first time in my life, I am the one with someone who makes me feel special, like I am the most important thing in the world. For the first time, people can be jealous of me and what I have instead of me being jealous of them for finding love and happiness, while I denied myself of it by pushing Wheeler away for all those years.

Now it was finally time to have dinner. Poor Wheeler. He must feel like passing out. The boy does not go very long between meals.

"Soooo what's for dinner?!" he asks eagerly. "Ham? Turkey? Somethin' beefy and Russian?"

"Nyet Baby," I say sympathetically, "Meat is not permitted in the 'Holy Supper' as we call it. Kutya, a type of porridge, is the primary dish. It is very symbolic with its ingredients being various grains for hope and honey and poppy seed for happiness and peace. The white tablecloth covering the table is symbolic of Christ's swaddling clothes. Hay is brought forth as a reminder of the poverty of the manger where Jesus was born. The tall white candle in the center of the table, is symbolic of Christ, 'the Light of the World.' And the large round loaf of Lenten bread next to the candle is called, 'pagach,' and is symbolic of Christ 'the Bread of Life,'" I explain.

Usually the meal begins with the Lord's Prayer, led by the father of the family. Since we do not have that, Mishka fills that roll. A prayer of thanksgiving for all the blessings of the past year is said, I take Wheeler's hand at this point. Then prayers for the good things in the coming year are offered and he squeezes my hand. Typically the Mother of the family blesses each person present with honey in the form of a cross on each forehead…Grandmother does this, saying: "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, may you have sweetness and many good things in life and in the new year." She hesitates when she gets to Wheeler.

"Are you sure you want to do this? We will not be offended if you do not…I realize this may be a bit strange to you."

"No no no. Go ahead. Like I said, I wanna experience everything the way you guys normally do things…a little honey on the forehead is no stranger than an Easter Egg hunt, or adults dressing up in costumes…" he says.

"Or a stupid holiday like April Fool's where people play tricks on other people," I add.

"Oh yeah," he says guiltily, remembering the hell he put me through on that day as a 'joke.'

Following the honey on the forehead, everyone has a piece of bread, dipping it first in honey and then in chopped garlic. Honey is symbolic of the sweetness of life, and garlic of the bitterness.

"Guess there will be no kissing tonight after all this garlic, da?" Mishka says.

"Nyet, if we can kiss each other every morning after just waking up, a little garlic breath will not stop us!" I say, glaring at my big brother, who is doing his best to keep Wheeler and me from being together, even if it is just kissing.

After dinner, we exchange gifts. I was surprised that Wheeler had gotten Mishka and Grandmother something. The fact that he would put thought into buying presents for my family filled my heart with so much happiness. He was not just trying to impress them; he genuinely wanted to be part of the family.

We stayed up a little longer and talked, but it was obvious that Grandmother and Mishka were getting tired.

"I am going to bed," Grandmother says.

"Da, me too," Mishka adds. "Are you two going to bed?"

"Soon," I say. "Right after we have..."

"Linkaaaaa..." Grandmother warns.

"...another drink. Babushka...! What did you think I was going to say?!"

"Do not torment your brother, darling," she says as she gives me a goodnight kiss on the forehead. Then she goes over to Wheeler, "Thank you again for the lovely scarf. Your Grandmother does beautiful work," she says as she also kisses him goodnight.

"You're welcome. I asked her to make it especially for you. And thank you for the dinner and the new belt. That's awesome that it was hand made by a friend of yours...the design on it is so detailed!"

"Goodnight Wheeler. Thank you for the gift," Mishka says as he holds out his hand to Wheeler.

"Your welcome. Thank you as well."

"I will leave the bedroom door open, just close it when you come to bed. Are you sure you want the air mattress?" Mishka asks.

"Yeah, the air mattress is fine. I won't be long. I don't wanna wake you when I come in," Wheeler says.

When Mishka and Grandmother leave and I am sure they can no longer hear us, I ask Wheeler,

"Why are you being so nice to him?"

"First of all, I'm a guest in his house. Second, he's your brother and I don't want him to hate me. I want him to trust me with you, and to see how much I care about you."

"How can he see that when he will not even let us have two seconds alone together?"

"It's just a test. Remember when we went back to New York for Thanksgiving and Kate and Kristen gave you a hard time?"

"Da, of course….how could I forget?"

"Well, that's sort of what Mishka is doing…but I won't crack. He's not gonna chase me away!" he says with a kiss.

"So is it safe to say that you are over your insecurities from a few weeks ago?" I ask, wanting to make sure that that is behind us and that I will not have to worry about a repeat performance next year.

"Yeah…I think I'm good."

"You _**think**_?"

"I don't know what it is…I'm messed up. I hate Christmas…who hates Christmas? Something is wrong with me."

"So? That is it? That is your problem? Then we do one of two things…one…you let me take care of Christmas. Let me make it a good holiday for you…whatever bad memories you have, or for whatever reason you dislike it, I will change that. Or two…we forget all about it. Do not celebrate it. If your problem is the stress of finding the perfect gift, then forget it. No gifts. We will remember the true reason for Christmas, and celebrate that, but that is all."

He gives me a huge smile and his eyes are sparkling as he says,

"I love you."

"And I love you…which is why I mean what I say. You do not need to buy me things or do things for me to prove it. I believe it."

"I don't want to not celebrate it. After all, we've got a tree we need to decorate every year! I don't want to not buy you presents. I love buying stuff for you. I love seeing the look on your face. I just…I just hope that I can keep putting that look there."

"You mean this look?" I ask as I put my arm around him, lace my fingers through his hair, tilt my head to the side, look him in the eyes, and smile.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"That is my 'I love you so much and I am the luckiest girl in the world' look…you do not need to do anything special for me to give you that look. Just promise you will always be with me and never leave me. Just love me."

"I do. I do. You have no idea…I'll never leave you again," he promises as he leans forward and is inches away from kissing me.

Instead, he reaches around me and pulls a bag out from behind the throw pillow on the couch.

"What is this?" I ask.

"Just a little something I picked up for you."

"Something else? You have already done so much!"

"This one is sort of for me too."

He reaches into the bag and pulls out…

"Mistletoe?!"

Except it is on a headband!

"Mmm hmm," he says as he holds it above my head and leans forward to kiss me. "There's something else in there for you...and me."

I dig to the bottom of the bag until I find what he is talking about. I take it out to look at it, then quickly shove it back in the bag just in case anyone else happened to walk into the room. Mishka would have a heart attack if he saw that 'barely there' navy blue nightgown.

"WHEELER!"

"You like?"

I have to be blushing…I can feel the heat rushing to my cheeks.

"Da. It is…pretty."

"You're pretty. I can't wait to see it on you." He reaches out and pulls me to him as we kiss.

"I cannot wait to try it on."

"Oh yeah? That's funny cuz I was just thinking that I can't wait to take it _off _!"

We both laugh and I curl up against him on the couch. He's still holding the mistletoe headband in his hand and as he puts his arm around me, he places the headband on my head.

"Merry Christmas Babe," he says as he leans towards me.

"S RazhdеstvOm, Yankee!" I reply as I close the distance between us and give him a kiss goodnight that will hopefully give him sweet dreams...about us.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	13. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

_Chapter 13_

**_Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas_**

I wake up the next morning feeling lost. This isn't my room…this isn't my bed…my bed isn't usually this empty. Of course, I should be used to it since I haven't been with Linka in two weeks…but even then, I never got used to it. It's been too long since I've woken up with my arms around her. I've taken to holding a pillow, but it's not the same. It's not as soft, it doesn't smell as good, it isn't as warm…Damn! It's cold here!

Suddenly, my attention is drawn to a loud coughing fit coming from the hallway and then Mishka enters the room.

"Hey man, you ok?" I ask.

"Da," he sniffles. "Sorry if I woke you…I needed to get up and look for some medicine."

"No, I just woke up on my own and was just laying here."

"Grandmother is making breakfast if you would like some. It should be ready soon."

"Ok, thanks. Are you coming?"

"Da, but just to eat a little bit of leftover kutya, and then I am going back to bed. I have to work the late shift tonight. I am going to get some rest and hopefully that will be enough to get rid of this cold."

After getting cleaned up, I head to the kitchen to see if I can help Linka's grandmother. Mishka is sitting at the table eating his kutya and not looking well at all.

"Good morning. Is there anything I can do to help?" I ask.

"Nyet dear, I am just about done. There is a kettle brewing so the tea will be ready soon…Merry Christmas by the way."

"Oh yeah…S Razhd…umm…Merry Christmas to you as well."

"It was a good effort," she says.

"It's just so hard! I try. I wanna learn things and be able to communicate, or just say a few phrases, but I just can't remember them. They're not even pronounced the way they are spelled…plus with the different alphabet…I'll never know more than the basics."

"As long as Linka is around to translate for you, you do not need to."

"Yeah but…" I can't believe I'm about to say this…"If we ever have kids…I want them to know both languages…and I want to be able to help teach them…plus I wanna know what they're saying, so they don't try to put one over on their old man when their mom's not around to translate!"

Her grandmother gets a huge smile on her face.

"You have discussed children?" she asks.

"Well…yes and no. Before we were together, I told her that if we ever did get married, I only wanted two kids. She just laughed at me. Then yesterday…I told her that she's the only one that I want to start a family with…after we get married of course."

"And are you?" Mishka finally speaks. "Planning on getting married, I mean."

"Yeah. Someday I hope…if she'll say yes."

"Oh she will," Gran says. "She has loved you for a very long time."

"Well, for a year at least!" I joke.

"Nyet. For longer than that. When she would write home, she would speak of you often. Is that not right Mishka?"

"Da. For a while there, we wondered if the Planeteers consisted of more team members than just Linka and Wheeler!" he chuckles, then beings another coughing fit.

I poured a cup of hot tea and took it over to him.

"Spasiba…sorry, that means…"

"I know what that one means…and you're welcome." I think I may be starting to get Mishka to warm up to me. I sit down at the table next to him and motion for Gran to have a seat as well.

"I love Linka more than I ever thought possible. I felt something for her from the moment we met. That wasn't just a little crush, or my raging teenage hormones…I thought it could have been that at first, but those feelings never went away. The just kept getting stronger. Then a few years ago, when she came back here and I thought she was leaving the Planeteers, that's when I knew…, I loved her. I couldn't imagine my life without her."

"And I knew then that she was in love with you," Gran said.

"And so did I," Mishka adds. "And I knew from the lengths that you went to, to come here and watch over her…and ended up saving both of our lives…I knew that you loved her and would do anything for her. I saw how hurt she was when she thought she was leaving the Planeteers, and then I saw how happy she was when Grandmother told her to go back with them."

I take a deep breath and continue.

"I guess there's only one thing left to do then…part of the reason I wanted to come here was for Linka…so she could be with her family. I also wanted to get to know you both better…under better circumstances…and I wanted to get your approval…I want your blessing. I want…to marry Linka."

"That is wonderful!" Gran says.

Mishka still has not said anything and shows no reaction. I guess he's processing.

He finally stands up in front of me…oh shit, he's gonna punch me! But instead, he extends his hand. I also stand up and accept his hand.

"Welcome to the family, brother!"

Phew!

"Umm, thanks. I haven't asked her yet…I don't know when I will, but someday I will, and I just wanted to know it was ok with you guys."

"You do not need our permission Wheeler, we see how happy she is, we've heard how much she loves you and you her, we've seen it with our own eyes…you have our blessing!" Gran says.

"Da. I saw how far you would go to protect her before you were in a relationship, I know you will take care of my little sister and make her happy."

"Thanks. It really means alot to me to know that you both are ok with this...with me."

"It is nothing personal against you Wheeler. I am just not ready to know that my little sister is...not so little anymore!" Mishka says.

"Yeah, I get it. I respect that...but promise me you'll be happy one day when we call to tell you that you're gonna be an uncle, and not fly halfway across the world to kick my butt!"

"I promise," he says with a laugh. "Now, if you'll please excuse me, I am going back to bed."

Mishka heads back to bed, leaving Gran and I in the kitchen.

"Linka has never been one to sleep in before…has that changed?" she asks me.

"No, she's always up before me."

"Perhaps you should go in and check on her. I hope she has not gotten sick like Mishka."

Me too. It's bad enough we can't share a bed…but if she's sick, and we can't even kiss…I'll go nuts!

So I go back to her room, the door is still closed, but not locked…do I knock and chance Mishka hearing? He may be ok with me marrying his sister, but I doubt he's changed his mind on our cohabitating! I open her door slowly so I don't startle her incase she is awake. I look around the door and see that she is still in her bed, fast asleep.

I close the door, pull back the covers, and crawl into bed behind her, wrapping my arms around her. This feels so good. I could almost fall asleep. This is the most relaxed I've been in weeks. I pull her against me and mold myself to her.

"What took you so long?" she asks.

"Me? I've been up. We've been waiting for you."

"And I have been waiting for you to come get me. I thought Grandmother would have sent you in much sooner than this!"

"What are you two up to? Are you conspiring to get me killed by your brother?" I ask.

"I told you…I will protect you from the big bad big brother!" she says as she rolls over in my arms to face me. She then gives me a quick kiss. "Good morning."

"Good morning. Merry Christmas," I say as I give her a longer kiss.

"Da, it is," she replies as she pushes me onto my back and climbs on top of me and pins me down with another, much more passionate kiss.

Things are heating up and going pretty far. If we're not careful, we're going to end up in the same position as yesterday before Kwame interrupted. Better slow things down. I pull my hands out from underneath her top, take hold of her arms, and turn my head to break the contact between our lips. She rests her head on my shoulder and places several kisses on my neck.

"This is so hard," she whispers against my skin.

"I know."

"We can still try…"

She sits up, straddling me, and begins undressing.

"Linka…stop," I beg as she attempts to untie the drawstring of my sweatpants.

"Nyet…I cannot. I have been thinking about this since yesterday. We can do this…quickly...quietly." She has now completely disrobed and crawled under the covers and is now running her hands under my shirt and is pulling it up. I give in and pull my shirt over my head. She once again turns her attention to getting my pants off.

"What happened to slow? What happened to savoring? What happened to all night?" I ask. She stops and considers. "You're the one that said that this isn't us. We're better than this…than, just a…quickie. Are you sure about this?"

She rests her head on my stomach and removes her hand from the waistband of my pants. She moves to begin placing kisses along my abdomen and I'm afraid that I haven't gotten through to her when begins to move lower, but once she reaches the edge of my pants, she makes her way back up my abdomen, across my chest, up my neck, and to my lips.

"Thank you," she whispers against my lips. "For caring...for wanting to make it special...and reminding me how great we can be when we take it slow. It will be worth the wait. Thank you."

"You're welcome…but you have no idea how hard you made it."

She cocks an eyebrow at me and laughs.

"To stop! How hard you made it to stop! Geez, I thought having a dirty mind was my thing," I say as I hold her to me and rub my hand up and down her bare back. "We should probably get out there and join your grandmother for breakfast before she starts to wonder what's taking so long."

"She already thinks we are…misbehaving…this was her idea!"

"WHAT?! I knew it! You two really are trying to get Mishka to kick my ass!"

"Linka!" and then there is a loud string of coughs.

I quickly and quietly jump out of the bed and lay on the floor on the side opposite from the door. Not thinking, I hurry up and throw my shirt up to her so she can cover herself.

She replies to him in Russian and then he answers her. I hear the door open and their conversation continues. I hear him thank her, and then he leaves. She rolls over to the edge of the bed and says to me,

"The coast is clear Yankee. You can come up now."

"What did he want?"

"He wanted to know if I would ask you to go with Grandmother to the market when you got back from your _walk_. He must have went looking for you and that is where she told him you went. I guess she needs more flower and potatoes. He is not feeling well enough to go with her and she cannot carry those things by herself. I told him we would go with her, if that is ok with you."

"Yeah, of course it is."

"He also wanted to know why I was wearing your shirt!"

"Shit. I just grabbed the first thing I saw."

"It is ok. I covered and told him that I always sleep in your shirts because it is comforting to feel like you are always there…especially since I was not _**allowed**_ to sleep with you. He believed it…but you know what that means?"

"What?" I ask.

"It means that for the rest of our time here, I have to sleep in this shirt," she says, laying claim to my shirt with a smile.

"It's all yours. Looks better on you anyways," I say as I hold out my hand to her and help her out of bed.

She stands in front of me and I give her one last kiss before we go back out to the kitchen. She moves her hands from my back, down to rest on my hips. When we pull apart, she looks down, then looks back up at me with a big smile.

"Not that that is not one of the sexiest things I have ever seen, but you might want to fix that before we go back out there," she nods towards my pants which are riding very low around my hips. Then she pulls them up and tugs at the drawstring.

"Well if _**someone**_ hadn't tried to take advantage of me…" I joke as I tighten the strings and tie them.

When we get back to the kitchen, Gran sees Linka wearing nothing but my shirt and me wearing nothing but my pants and assumes that we've...

"Feel better?" she asks Linka with a laugh.

"Nyet. Saint Wheeler did not want to!" Linka teases me.

"Aww, come on! I was just…you said before…I guess I'm just more of a romantic than you. I like to cuddle…not worry about older brothers walking in and interrupting! And knowing that Gran knows what's going on…well, that just kinda kills the mood!"

Gran laughs.

"I was just trying to help you Wheeler! I was young once too. I remember what it was like to be in love!"

"BABUSKHA! NYET! STOP! PLEASE!" Linka cries, her face turning red.

"What is wrong dear?"

"Can we not talk of such things before breakfast? Wheeler will lose his appetite."

I look up from my plate. I've been stuffing my face since we sat down, aware of the conversation, but not really caring. The ham and eggs sitting before me has my full attention.

"Not possible Babe," I say around a mouthful of toast and eggs. "I think it's cool that Gran is so....well...COOL!"

Then I remember something from when Linka met my family.

"Hey Gran, you know what would be really cool?" I ask.

"What is that dear?"

"You don't happen to have any embarrassing baby pictures of Linka do you?"

The look on Linka's face is priceless! Her eyes get all big and her jaw drops.

"As a matter of fact, I have a whole album full!" Gran says.

"Nyet! No baby pictures!"

"Turn about is fair play Babe!"

* * *

To Be Continued...


	14. Christmas Wrapping

Poor Wheeler and Linka...How cruel! It's torture for me too! This is hard to write!

_Chapter 14_

**_Christmas Wrapping_**

Linka and my time in Russia is drawing to an end. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and I can't wait to see how they celebrate it in Russia. I really feel like part of the family now. I've gone shopping with Linka and Gran, met the neighbors and other friends of the family in the town, and there are even some people that recognize me from when I single handedly saved the town…well, I saved Linka and Mishka…Cap's the one that stopped the recycling plant from exploding…but whatever…they still recognize me. Plus, if I hadn't been there to give Linka her ring back, we would have never been able to call Cap. I can even go out into the town by myself and know my way around. I'm gonna miss this place and will definitely make sure we get back here more often than just Christmas.

Poor Mishka has missed work the last few days. My guess is, he's got the flu. Unlike the last few days though, he's planning on going to work tonight. He seems a little better…but not by much. He ate dinner with us tonight and was able to keep it down…I guess that's a good thing! He even said he was going to try and go into work early and stay later to try and make up for the time he had missed. Now that's dedication! I guess I take having to work for a living for granted. We don't get paid to do what we do, but we also don't have to pay for where we live. On the other hand, I'm assuming his job at the mine is pretty dangerous…maybe he should be more careful and not go into work until he's 100 percent.

"Hey Mishka, are you sure you're ok to work? I mean, are you all there," I say as I point to my head. "it seems like you'd have to be alert and ready at all times when you're in a mine."

"Da, I am fine. This cold medicine is non-drowsy…besides, I am one of the leads…it is not a good example for me to not show up for work…even if I am very sick. It sets a bad example. Then the others will think that it is ok to call off."

"But it _**is **_ok to call off if you are sick," Linka says. "Especially as sick as you are!"

"Da, but some of these younger guys call off when they have the sniffles. If I show up, it shows that if I can do it, as sick as I still am, then they can do it when they are just a little sick. This job is not for the weak. If you cannot handle it, you should not be there."

"Stupid macho man, that is what I think. Wheeler is right. It is too dangerous if you do not feel well. You could be endangering yourself, or others."

"I am fine. But thank you for worrying…I will see you tomorrow afternoon," Mishka says as he leaves.

"He is so stubborn!" Linka says.

"Must run in the family!" I say as I come up behind her and kiss the back of her neck.

She turns in my arms and smiles up at me.

"That does not make sense, you and he are not related!" she teases as she places a quick kiss on my lips.

"Who me? I'm not stubborn! I'm the most laid back and easy going guy you'll ever meet!"

"Da right!" she says as she playfully slaps my chest, then grabs a fist full of my shirt and pulls me towards her for a kiss.

"See, if I were stubborn, I would have fought you off. I mean, geez, forcing me to kiss you when your brother could have walked back in and caught us…"

"Why would he come back in? He would be late for work."

"I don't know…what if he forgot his lunch?" I ask as I hook my fingers into the belt loops of her pants and pull her against me.

"Then I guess he would be shocked when he walked in and saw this," she whispers as she once again pulls my head down towards her for a kiss. This one is longer than the last one and I relax, not worried about who may walk in, we just let our hands and lips roam.

"We should get some rest," she says as she breaks away. "We are going to have a long day tomorrow if we are going to celebrate New Years here, then fly back to New York."

"Yeah."

"Do you have another shirt for me to wear?" She asks.

"Yeah, I just did a load of laundry today. My bag is full of clean shirts."

* * *

I brush my teeth before bed and when I come out of the bathroom, Linka is standing in the doorway of her room, wearing only my shirt and holding…oh shit.

"What is this?!" she laughs.

"Uhh, a magazine. I saw it at a newsstand when I was shopping for the ornaments for our tree. I thought that maybe that article might be helpful."

"Which one? '_13 Kinds of Sex Every Couple Should Have_' or '_27 Ways to Jumpstart Your Love Life_'?"

"Well, I got it for the 27 Ways because I thought that maybe it would help me get you back…but I'm not gonna lie, I read the other article…we pretty much have that one covered! With a few exceptions."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" She asks curiously.

"Well, we've got the 'vacation sex,' 'holiday sex,' 'comfort,' 'animalistic,' 'quickie,' 'all over the house' or in our case, 'island' which also covers the 'outdoor sex,' 'romantic, slow, and sensual,' and then the 'marathon sex.'"

"Marathon?"

"Yeah…remember that one time when it stormed really bad, it rained _**all day**_ and we never left your room?"

"Oooh. Da...So what are we missing?"

"Well, we've been trying to get around to the 'make up sex,' and we've never tried the 'hope we don't get caught' sex."

"Hey, _**I**_ have tried. You just keep chickening out!" she says.

"Yeah, yeah. Forgive me for not wanting to be killed by your brother."

"So the other article, did it teach you anything?"

"Nah, the whole magazine was pretty much a waste of money. We've already done most of the 13 kinds, and I pretty much already do most of the 27 Ways to Jumpstart the Love Life."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah…as a matter of fact, I could have written the article! And added more too it!" I laugh.

"Name some."

I take the magazine from her and flip it open to the article.

"'Compliment her.' I think I do that alot. You're beautiful, smart, sexy, gorgeous, talented…did I say beautiful yet?"

"Ok, that one was easy. Next," she says.

"'See a chick flick…and when the lead characters kiss, show your girl the same attention.' I watch romantic movies with you, and we cuddle and kiss during the movie…see, I'm on the ball!"

"Very good."

"'Explore New Regions' Remember Thanksgiving?" I say with a knowing grin.

"Da," she blushes.

"Or a few weeks ago when I found out that when I kiss your stomach, anywhere around your bellybutton drives you nuts…or that spot on your side…right below your ribcage…or right here," I say as I pull my baggy shirt that she's wearing down off her shoulder and go for that spot that I'm talking about.

"Daaaaa."

"Or when we're in public and I whisper to you all the things I want to do when we get home…"

"Ok, ok, I get it!"

"Or when I put my arm around you or hold your hand in public. Buy you stuff to make you feel special. When we go swimming and no one knows what goes on under the water…" I whisper as I grab her by the hips, run my hand down her leg, and back up and under the hem of the long t-shirt.

"Wheeler…" she gasps.

"Or pay extra attention to favorite body parts…and my favorite tip, one which I'll do as much as possible…'kiss for 12 seconds'….AT LEAST!" I demonstrate by kissing her for no less than a minute. When we part, I lean my forehead against hers.

"I think that one is my favorite too," she says. "Spo'koinoi 'nochi Yankee. Ya tebya lyublyu."

"Goodnight Babe. I love you too."

* * *

I'm laying on the air mattress, unable to fall asleep. It's not that it's uncomfortable…I just can't sleep. When I was kissing her, when my hands were all over her…I feel like a pig, but all I can think about is getting home…and that make up sex…can it really be considered that anymore…? I mean, we've already made up…we're good. Life is good. Love is good…we just haven't been able to…

My thoughts are interrupted when the door opens. Is Mishka home? I don't move. I don't really feel like talking to him right now, especially since I'm thinking not so nice thoughts about his sister. I'll just pretend to be asleep and hopefully he falls asleep soon.

Then the covers are pulled back, and I open my eyes to see Linka kneeling on the floor next to me.

"Oh my God."

"What do you think?" she asks.

"I…I think…I think that's not my t-shirt you're wearing!" I stammer as I struggle to sit up.

"But do you like it?"

"It's better than I could have imagined. You look…amazing. Beyond amazing. No doubt, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. The most beautiful _ANYTHING_ I've ever seen…and I've seen alot of beautiful things in my travels."

"Thank you."

"Soooo, what are you doing here Babe? It's not nice to torture me."

"I am not here to torture you. Mishka will be gone until tomorrow afternoon. Grandmother is sleeping. We _**finally**_ have _**all**_ night," she says as she crawls onto the air mattress and struggles to steady herself. "Chyort voz'mi! How the hell do you sleep on this thing?!"

"It's not that bad…I just don't think it's meant for two…which is probably what Mishka had in mind!" I say.

"Let us not talk about Mishka," she says as she straddles my lap and kisses me.

"Linka…don't do this to me again…"

"Nyet Wheeler, do not do this to _**me**_ again. Do not stop me."

She pulls my shirt up over my head, kisses my neck, and runs her hands up and down my arms, down my sides, and around my back, her feather light touch driving me mad.

Two can play at this game. I rest my hands on her thighs, bracing ourselves on the unsteady mattress which tries to topple us with every move we make. I run my hands under the silky fabric and now it's my turn to drive her crazy. I run my hands up her spine and hold her still as I lean forward and hug her to me, resting my head between her breasts and nuzzling against her. She laces her fingers through my hair as I begin brushing my lips against the thin fabric separating my mouth from her skin. I free one of my hands and slowly pull down the thin strap holding her top up, exposing more of her skin and giving my lips more contact. She throws her head back and takes a sharp breath, then she leans forward and presses her face into the crook of my shoulder to muffle her sighs.

She begins to rock her hips back and forth and the movement on the shaky mattress forces me backwards, pulling her with me. I direct her lips towards mine and as we kiss, she is astride my leg and whimpers against my mouth when I move to readjust our position. She grabs for the waistband of my pants and is frantically trying to undo the drawstring. The only thing she succeeds in doing is making the knot tighter. The more she struggles, the worse it gets.

"Sssh, slow down. We have all night remember?" I ask. I brush her hair away from her face and trail my hand down her cheek and neck.

She smiles and nods at me. Then she leans down and begins kissing me, moving from my lips, to my neck, over my chest, and down my stomach, tracing her hands down my sides. Now that she's disappeared under the covers, I lift them up and peer under them to see what she's doing. She takes a closer look at the drawstring of my pants and calmly beings working at the knot. She finally gets it loose and gives me the biggest, most evil grin I've ever seen. Her eyes are two shades darker than normal.

"Ready?" she asks.

"Babe…Linka…you don't…I'd rather…"

"Sssh. All night…we have all night." Then she begins tugging at my pants to pull them down so I lift my hips off the mattress and just as she's about to pull my boxers, I hear something.

"What was that?" I whisper.

"What was what?"

"I just heard something…out there."

"Maybe Grandmother got up to get something to drink…or maybe she cannot sleep and is going to watch TV."

"Then we can't…"

"I thought this would count towards our 'I hope we do not get caught.'"

"It is only Grandmother. It is not like she is going to start opening doors and looking for us! If she goes into my room looking for me and does not find me, she is going to know where I am…and she will not try to find me. She is not Mishka; she does not care what we do."

Then the mother of all mood killers strikes…coughing…lots of it…deep, manly coughing.

"Shit!" I whisper.

"IT **_IS _**MISHKA!!!" She hisses.

I drop the covers and reach underneath to pull up my pants, then grab her arms and pull her up so that she's laying on top of me, still covered by the blanket. Then I roll over so that my body is covering hers, blocking her from view.

We no sooner got settled and Mishka entered the room.

"Heeeeeey man. What're you doin' home?" I ask, trying to sound casual…nonchalant…not like his little sister was under the covers about to…holy shit!...put her hand down my pants!

"You were right. I was not well enough to work. I tried, but I have no energy…no strength. My boss sent me home. He said that he would just mark me down for 'sick days' and I would get paid. We never had those before."

"Welcome to the wonderful world of democracy and workers rights!" I say.

"Da, I guess. I do not even feel like I have enough energy to change out of my work clothes. I could just lay down right here, right now, and sleep."

"You don't wanna do that!" I exclaim.

"Da, I do!"

"No, I mean…your bed will get all dirty. You should go change, get cleaned up…maybe a nice long hot bath will make you feel better."

"That does sound nice…"

"I know when I have the flu, nothing feels better on my sore muscles than soaking in a hot bath," I say, trying my best to convince him to leave so Linka can escape back to her room.

"Ok, you have convinced me…you are a good man Wheeler…Does Linka know how lucky she is to have you?!" he teases as he gathers his clean clothes and heads for the bathroom.

"Da, she does," Linka says as she pokes her head out from under the covers after he leaves. She crawls up towards me to kiss me quickly. "Sorry."

"My head is going to explode! I just…I wanna…scream! This can't be happening!"

"Do you think he will be long in the bathtub? We can still try to…"

"No. No way. I'm not risking it. I'll…survive," I sigh. "Besides, it's not just about the sex...I wanna hold you all night after. I wanna wake up next to you and stay in bed all morning just cuddling."

"I want those things too. I _**am**_ sorry Wheeler. If I had known we were going to be interrupted, I would have never came in here in the first place," she whispers.

"I'm glad you did...you look amazing...and if it hadn't been for Mishka coming home, tonight would have been awesome. But you better go…just in case he comes back in here for something."

She slides out from under the covers, but not before putting her hand on the back of my neck and pulling me forward for an intense good night kiss. Each time I thought we were done and would pull back for air, one of us would lean forward and go back for more. When we part for the final time, she presses her lips to my ear and whispers, "Tomorrow night. After the ball drops in New York. Just the two of us. No interruptions. We will **finally **celebrate our reconciliation and also a new year…new beginnings. I promise."

"Ok. I promise too. I love you Babe."

"And I love you."

After one more quick kiss, she leaves the room and leaves me having even more trouble getting to sleep than I had before she entered the room. But she's right. Tomorrow will be a day of celebrating…a _**night**_ of celebrating…'a new year, and new beginnings'…You have no idea Babe. I may have ruined Christmas, but just wait until you see what I have planned for you for New Years!

* * *

The End

Ok, so the Christmas one was about two weeks off schedule...now it's time to get to New Years and wrap up the series!


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